Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie charts above illustrate the ratios of britain students at a university in England who were able to speak foreign languages in addition to English, in years 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the percentage of students not speaking any foreign language in 2000 and 2010 were greater than any others who speak other languages. German language was spoken by the lesser students in both periods.

Admittedly, in 2000 there were 30% students who were not speaking any language, while there were 20% students with spanish language and similar proportion of 15% students were speaking french and another language. In the least ratio, German and two other languages were spoken by same percentage of 10% students.

In conclusion, after a decade in 2010 the students who were not able to speak any other language were increased to 35% while, Spanish, French and German were spoken by equal proportion of 10% students. French and two other langauges were lying in the middle of pie chart spoken by 20% and 15% students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and report several figures accurately, including 30% with no other language in 2000, 20% speaking Spanish, and the 2010 figure of 35% with no other language. However, the overview is not fully accurate: students with no other language were the largest group, but German was not the least common in both years, since in 2010 Spanish and French were also at 10%. The final paragraph also says French accounted for 20% in 2010, whereas the chart shows 10%; the 20% figure belongs to another language. Some important changes are therefore unclear or misreported, and the response gives limited comparison across the two years. A clearer overview and accurate reporting of the main shifts would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details for 2000 and then 2010. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is weakened by the abrupt transition from the 2000 details to “In conclusion,” which introduces more data rather than drawing a conclusion. The overview and body also repeat the point about students speaking no other language without developing the comparison between years. Linking phrases such as “Admittedly” and “In the least ratio” do not clearly signal the relationships between the figures. Organise the details around the main changes—for example, categories that rose, fell, or stayed constant—and use transitions that accurately express those relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “percentage,” “proportion,” and “spoken,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise, such as “ratios of britain students,” “in the least ratio,” and “were lying in the middle of pie chart.” “Not speaking any language” is also inaccurate in context, because the chart means not speaking another language besides English. There are spelling and capitalisation slips, including “britain,” “spanish,” and “langauges.” Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “the proportion of British students” and “accounted for.” This would make the comparisons clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, but control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic agreement and sentence construction. For example, “the percentage … were greater” should use a singular verb (“was”), while “German language was spoken by the lesser students” has an awkward comparative structure. In “the students … were increased to 35%,” the passive form is incorrect; the proportion “increased to 35%.” The sentence beginning “French and two other langauges were lying…” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the categories and their percentages. Punctuation around “while” is not well controlled. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and use direct structures such as “The proportion rose to…” before attempting more complex comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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