Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-17

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 demonstrate the breakdown of British students at one university in england, who were able to speak other languages in additino to english, in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, in 2000 about 30% of university student were not able to speak any additional language other than english, which increased to 35% in 2010.

In 2000 Spanish language was popular between students, around 20% students can speak spanish, while with15% French and Another language were also secound popular languages. Least spoken were Two other languages and German only with a proportion of 10%.

In 2010 French and German languages proportion remains same, while spanish proption decreased to 10%. However, proportion of Two other languages and Another language surprisingly increased by 5% in both.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main overall change: the share reporting no additional language rose from 30% to 35%, and you compare several categories across the two years. Most figures you include match the charts. However, the report is incomplete: it gives little detail about the 2010 distribution and omits the 2010 figures for Spanish, French, and German, as well as a clear comparison of the largest categories. The phrase “French and German languages proportion remains same” is also unclear about the actual values. The response contains 107 words, below the required 150; the 16 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a fuller overview and select key figures from both charts to address the task more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the two years. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and transitions such as “Overall” and “However” help signal relationships. The progression is less effective within the final paragraph, where unchanged categories and increases are listed without giving their exact values or clearly linking them to the earlier figures. Some phrasing, such as “while with15% French and Another language,” also interrupts the flow. Organise the details into a more balanced comparison of 2000 and 2010, and use clear references such as “this figure” only when the category is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “breakdown,” “proportion,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the reader can understand the general comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision: “popular between students” is not a natural way to describe language figures, while “secound” and “proption” are misspelled. “Least spoken” is also imprecise for categories that include speaking two languages. Choose neutral reporting language and check spelling carefully. For example, describe Spanish as the most common additional language in 2000, rather than calling it popular, and use “share” or “percentage” consistently when reporting proportions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including a comparison beginning “In 2000 Spanish language was popular …, while …,” and the main message is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur often enough to make some statements awkward. For example, “30% of university student were” needs a plural noun and matching verb, while “French and German languages proportion remains same” has problems with word order, agreement, and the article. The opening also uses an unnecessary comma before “who.” Practise accurate comparative structures, such as “The proportion for French remained at 10%,” and check subject–verb agreement and articles in each sentence.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.