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 two pie charts inllustrated the proportions of other languages spoke by Biritish students at one university in England from 2000 to 2010.

Overall, the largest portion of student did not speak other languages, while German language accounted for smallest number of students. In addition, the two other language category experienced a noticeable increase over this period, where as both the Spanish and French saw decline in their proportions.

In 2000, the category no language made up the biggest sector of did not spoke by students, at 30%, which was more than double for the figure of French at 15%. Spanish stood at 20% making it the second largest sector. By 2010, the proportion for Spanish fell to 10%, while French dropped slightly to 10%. No other language use rise marginally increasing from 30% to 35% over the period.

The most dramatic change was seen in the two other languages which increased sharply from 15% in 2000 to 20% in 2010. Overtaking several other sectors, in contrast, German had the lowest language spoke by students which was 10% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: students with no other language formed the largest group in both years, while Spanish and French declined and the two-other-languages category increased. Most figures are accurate, including the 30% to 35% rise for no other language and the unchanged 10% for German. However, the overview says German was the smallest category, which is not true in 2010: another language was 20%, two other languages 15%, and German 10%, so German was tied with French and Spanish at the lowest level. The account also misreports the two-other-languages figures as 15% and 20%; the chart shows 10% and 15%. Include the rise in “another language” from 15% to 20% to make the comparison more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures. This makes the main comparisons easy to follow, and phrases such as “By 2010” and “In contrast” help signal changes. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. In “the category no language made up the biggest sector of did not spoke by students,” the relationship between the category and the students’ language ability is difficult to follow. The final paragraph also groups the two-language increase with German without a clear comparison, and “Overtaking several other sectors” does not explain which categories are being compared. Use more precise references and organise the details by clear trends, such as declines, increases, and unchanged figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of chart vocabulary, including “proportions,” “accounted for,” “stood at,” “sector,” and “increased.” These choices show an attempt to describe data rather than repeat the task wording. However, several word-choice and collocation problems make parts of the report unnatural or unclear: “languages spoke,” “the lowest language spoke,” and “the category no language” do not express the intended meanings accurately. There are also spelling errors in “inllustrated” and “Biritish.” Aim for precise category labels and natural reporting phrases, such as “students who spoke no other language” and “the smallest proportion.” Check spelling carefully, especially in the opening sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “while” and a time clause beginning “By 2010.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “the largest portion of student did not speak” has a number-agreement problem, and “which was more than double for the figure of French” is not a well-formed comparison. In “No other language use rise marginally increasing,” the verb forms do not fit together; use a clear past-tense construction such as “the proportion rose from 30% to 35%.” The sentence beginning “Overtaking several other sectors” also has an unclear grammatical connection to its subject. Review agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction when comparing figures.

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