Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-25

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 5.0)

The pie charts highlight the proportion of British learners at one university in England who became fluent in other languages (french, spanish, german and another) in addition to English in 10 years period.

Overall, the slight changes took place in each category of languages spoken by the under-graduates. No other language spoken remained the highest over a decade. Whereas, German language reveal same outcome over a period of time.

In a year 2000, the number of students learning french and two other languages were 10%. In a same manner, French and another language occupied the 15% proportion. Apart from this, 20% students took spanish classes.

In a year 2010, minor changes took place in all categories except in german language. More 5% students showed no interest in learning other language. In a contrast,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the charts’ subject and give a brief overview, correctly noting that “No other language” was the largest category and German stayed unchanged. However, the report is incomplete: it ends with “In a contrast,” and does not finish the 2010 comparison. Some figures are also misreported. In 2000, French was 15%, while two other languages was 10%; your sentence assigns 10% to both French and two other languages. You also describe students as “learning” or taking classes, although the charts show language ability, not study activity. The response is 133 words, below the required 150. Include the main changes accurately and complete the comparison to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details for each year. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is limited because the 2010 paragraph stops mid-thought at “In a contrast,” leaving the comparison unfinished. Linking phrases such as “In a same manner,” “Apart from this,” and “In a contrast” are either awkward or do not clearly show how the figures relate. The overview also repeats the idea of change without specifying the main direction of change. To improve, group related figures into a clear comparison, use linking expressions only where they clarify relationships, and ensure each paragraph develops a complete point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “category,” and “remained the highest,” and the topic is generally understandable. There is also an attempt to vary wording through phrases such as “minor changes” and “outcome.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing the data: students did not necessarily “become fluent,” “take Spanish classes,” or “show no interest”; the chart records whether they could speak languages. “Under-graduates” is also an awkward label here, and “occupied the 15% proportion” is not a natural collocation. Choose precise reporting language such as “could speak,” “accounted for,” and “the share increased,” and avoid implying causes or activities not shown by the charts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast structure “Whereas, German language reveal same outcome over a period of time.” The meaning is often recoverable, but grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make the relationships between ideas unclear. Examples include “in 10 years period,” “In a year 2000,” and “More 5% students,” which show problems with articles, prepositions, and sentence construction. In “German language reveal,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “Whereas” is not correctly attached to a complete clause. The final “In a contrast,” is also an incomplete sentence. Practise accurate article use and complete comparative sentences before adding more complex structures.

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