Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-21

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 above Pie charts illustrates the percentage of undergraduates from higher education institute who could speak other languages in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, there were large number of students who could speak Spanish, German and French. But with the passage of time the ratio of additional language speaker were reduced except those who were good at German language.

During 2000 there were 20% of students who could speak Spanish which reduced to 10% in 2010. Students who could speak French were also reduced by 5% from 15% to 10% within 10 years. While the German spoken were same in both years.

Although, there were some students who could speak two other languages. They were 10% in 2000 and later on they increase to15% in 2010. similarly there were 15% individuals who can speak another language in 2000, which were increased to 20% in 2010. Lastly, a larger portion of people who were not able to speak any other language other than English and They also show 5% of incline from 30% to 35%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main categories and report most figures accurately: Spanish falls from 20% to 10%, French from 15% to 10%, German remains at 10%, and the groups speaking another language or two languages rise. You also identify the increase in students speaking no other language. However, the overview is unclear and partly contradicts the data: saying the “ratio of additional language speaker were reduced” overlooks the increases in the other-language groups, while “large number” for Spanish, German and French is not a useful summary of the overall pattern. Make the overview more precise by highlighting that the no-other-language group is largest in both years and that Spanish declines while several other categories grow or remain stable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting changes across the two years. The figures are generally grouped in a sensible way, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Although,” and “Lastly” help signal movement between points. However, some links are mechanical or confusing. “Although” introduces a point without a contrasting clause, and “While the German spoken were same” is left as a fragment. The overview also does not prepare the reader well for the later increases in the two other-language categories. Use clearer topic sentences and connect comparisons directly—for example, group the declining categories together, then contrast them with the categories that increased.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to describe the chart and changes, including “reduced,” “increased,” “portion,” and “incline.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for this task, such as “higher education institute,” “good at German language,” and “individuals who can speak another language.” Repetition of “students who could speak” also limits flexibility. Some expressions make the meaning less clear, particularly “the ratio of additional language speaker were reduced.” Aim for standard chart language and accurate collocations, such as “students at a university,” “spoke German,” and “the proportion speaking another language.” This would make the description more precise and natural without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons across years and clauses beginning with “Although” and “which.” However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries occur in several places. For example, “The above Pie charts illustrates” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “the ratio … were reduced” has a similar agreement problem. “They increase to15%” should use a past-tense form, while “While the German spoken were same” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “and They.” Check subject–verb agreement and past-tense consistency, and ensure each subordinate clause is attached to a complete sentence.

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