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 illustration depicts percentage of British students of a university in England that can talk in foreign languages on top of English, from [redacted phone].

Overall, Another language , No Other Language , Two Other Language increased equally over the period whereas Spanish speakers reduced by half, French saw a reduction and German language speakers remained the same . Through out the years people who only speak English remain the majority.

in 2000, No Other Language where the majority with 30 . German only and people who can speak 2 other languages where the minority. people speaking French and people speaking another language were the same. men and women who speak Spanish remain at 20 their highest

in 2010, Spanish and French speakers reduced and reached 10. individuals who can't speak any foreign language reach its peak and remain the majority. people speaking 2 other languages increased. individuals speaking an additional language increased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important patterns, including the rise in “No Other Language” from 30% to 35%, the fall in Spanish from 20% to 10%, and the unchanged German figure. However, the overview contains a significant misreading: “Another language,” “No Other Language,” and “Two Other Language” did not increase equally; they rose by different amounts (5, 5, and 5 percentage points respectively, so this claim is numerically true, but the wording should make the changes clear). The statement that people who only speak English “remain the majority” is inaccurate: this group is the largest single category, but it is not more than half. Some comparisons are also vague, and “Spanish speakers remain at 20” conflicts with the later account. Report the figures consistently and distinguish the largest category from a majority.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and several points are repeated rather than developed—for example, the overview says Spanish fell, then the final paragraph repeats that Spanish and French reached 10. Linking is limited, while the repeated sentence openings “people” and “individuals” make the report feel list-like. Some references are also unclear, such as “remain at 20 their highest,” which does not clearly identify the year or comparison. Grouping the figures into clear trends—rises, falls, and unchanged categories—and using precise comparisons would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “percentage,” “reduced,” “increased,” “remained the same,” and “majority.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are awkward or imprecise, which sometimes makes the data harder to interpret. For example, “talk in foreign languages on top of English” is not a natural way to describe additional languages, and “remain at 20 their highest” is unclear. “Two Other Language” also needs a more accurate plural form. Aim for standard chart-reporting phrases and use the category labels consistently, such as “students speaking two other languages” and “the proportion rose to 15%.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its main points through mostly simple sentence patterns, with limited evidence of more varied or controlled complex structures. Frequent errors in sentence formation and agreement affect clarity. For instance, “No Other Language where the majority with 30” lacks a correct verb, while “people who can speak 2 other languages where the minority” has the same problem. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “Spanish speakers reduced” and “individuals … reach its peak.” Capitalisation and punctuation are uneven, including sentence openings in lowercase and spaces before full stops. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and consistent past-tense reporting, for example: “The proportion with no other language was 30% in 2000 and rose to 35% in 2010.”

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