Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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 bar charts compare the percentages of British learners at one of the institutes in England who were able to speak languages other than English in one decade.

Overall,it is clearly seen that large number of individuals speak their native language during the given period of time.The learners who were able to speak Spanish saw a considerable decrease while the category of students ,in speaking another language increased during given period of time.

In 2000,20 percent of learners able to speak Spanish language along with English but in 2010, this became half that is 10%.The learners who spoke another language was 15% in 2000.By 2010,there was slight rise in percentage of those by 5%.

10 percent of students were speaking two other languages in 2000 but in 2010 this percentage rose by 5% ,jumping from 10% to 15%.In contrast,seekers who spoke only French declined from 15% to 10% in 2000 and 2010,respectively.The students who wanted to speak only German levelled off during both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant changes, including Spanish falling from 20% to 10%, another language rising from 15% to 20%, and German remaining at 10%. However, the overview is not fully accurate: “large number of individuals speak their native language” is unsupported, since the charts show whether students speak additional languages, not their native language. It also omits the largest category, students speaking no other language, which increased from 30% to 35%. Some details are unclear or inaccurate: French fell from 15% to 10%, but the sentence says “in 2000 and 2010” in a confusing order. To strengthen the report, give a precise overview of the main pattern and include the no-other-language category alongside the key changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting specific figures. The comparisons are generally grouped sensibly, and phrases such as “In contrast” help signal a change in direction. However, progression is weakened because the overview refers to native language rather than the chart’s categories, and the most prominent category—students speaking no other language—is not discussed. Some linking is mechanical or repetitive, particularly repeated references to “during the given period of time.” The French comparison is also difficult to follow because the years are presented in an unclear order. Organise the details around the main increases, decreases, and unchanged figures, and use clear references to each year to make the progression more consistent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of language for describing data, including “considerable decrease,” “slight rise,” “declined,” and “levelled off.” These choices show an attempt to vary vocabulary rather than repeat “increased” and “decreased.” However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural for this task. “Native language” misrepresents the chart, “learners” and “seekers” are not suitable labels for the students, and “speak only German levelled off” is awkward. “German level” also does not describe a chart category. Aim for precise chart vocabulary such as “students who spoke German only” and “the proportion.” More accurate collocations and consistent naming of the categories would make the report clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a comparison beginning “In contrast.” Most of the figures remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems reduce clarity. For example, “large number of individuals speak” needs an article and a clearer verb phrase, while “20 percent of learners able to speak” is missing “were.” In “The learners who spoke another language was 15%,” the subject and verb do not agree. The French sentence also places the years awkwardly, making the comparison harder to interpret. Review articles, subject–verb agreement, and complete verb phrases, and leave spaces after commas and full stops. These corrections would improve accuracy while preserving your range of sentence forms.

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