Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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 charts provide key information about proportions of British students at one university in the year 2000 and 2010 in England, who were able to speak other languages in addition to English. The units are measured in percentage.

Overall, it is clear from the charts that the proportion of students speaking English only has increased over the years. In addition the proportion of students speaking another language and speaking two other languages rose. Whereas the proportion of students speaking French or Spanish only has declined.

According to what is shown, the percentage of student speaking English only had a 5% increase in 2010, same for students speaking another language or two other languages, While for students speaking German only the percentage stayed the same over the years at 10%.

In tems of students speaking French only, the percentage declined from 15% to 10%. While for Spanish speaking studens, the charts show a significant dicrease from 20% to 10% in 2010.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall changes accurately: the share with no other language rises from 30% to 35%, “another language” from 15% to 20%, and “two other languages” from 10% to 15%, while French and Spanish decline and German remains at 10%. This gives the response a relevant overview and includes several key comparisons. However, the report is under the required 150 words (139 words; 21 words copied from the prompt are excluded), and some details are imprecise: “a 5% increase” should be expressed as a five-percentage-point rise, and “English only” is less accurate than “no other language.” The account is also brief, with limited development of the chart categories and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting details. The progression from general trends to specific figures is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “Whereas” help signal relationships. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, “Whereas the proportion…” is left as a fragment, and “While for Spanish speaking students…” is also not integrated into a complete sentence. The repeated “the percentage of students speaking…” phrasing makes the report less fluid. Use complete comparative sentences and connect related figures more naturally, grouping the increases and decreases together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart-reporting vocabulary, including “proportion,” “declined,” “rose,” and “stayed the same,” so the meaning is generally clear. There is some variation in how you describe changes, but several phrases are imprecise or awkward: “The units are measured in percentage” is unnatural, and “English only” does not accurately describe the chart category “No other language.” Spelling errors such as “tems,” “studens,” and “dicrease” are noticeable, while “significant decrease” overstates a change that is simply a ten-percentage-point fall. Aim for accurate category labels, standard spelling, and precise terms such as “percentage points” when comparing values.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the contrast in “Whereas the proportion…” and the comparison “declined from 15% to 10%.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some sentence-boundary and clause-structure errors reduce accuracy. “Whereas the proportion of students speaking French or Spanish only has declined” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “While for students speaking German only…” is incorrectly capitalised after a comma. The phrase “the percentage of student speaking” also has a number-agreement problem. Build complete sentences around contrast clauses, check singular and plural forms, and use punctuation to separate independent clauses correctly.

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.