Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-26
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 chart illustrates the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, between 2000 and 2010.
In the first chart, it shows that in the year 2000, 15% of students spoke French, which decreased significantly in 2010, coming down to 10%. The same case can be seen in Spanish-speaking students dropping from 20% to 10%.
On the other hand, German-speaking students remained the same from 2000 to 2010. However, in 2010, the percentage of other-language speakers increased slightly, from 15% to 20%. The same scenario can be seen in two other language-speaker groups in those 11 years, going from 15% to 20%.
And lastly, the percentage of students who spoke no other language increased slightly from 30% to 35%.
Therefore, we can see the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English changed between 2000 and 2010
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify several important changes accurately: French falls from 15% to 10%, Spanish from 20% to 10%, German remains at 10%, and students speaking no other language rise from 30% to 35%. However, the account is incomplete and includes a significant data error: the two-other-languages group rises from 10% to 15%, not from 15% to 20%. The overview is also weak; the final sentence merely repeats the topic rather than summarising the main pattern, such as the growth in students reporting no other language and the decline in Spanish and French. The response contains 119 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail and development of the report. Add a clear overview and accurately cover the remaining categories.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The information is presented in a generally understandable order, moving through language groups and using basic links such as “On the other hand,” “However,” and “And lastly.” This gives the response some organisation, but the progression is not fully controlled: “the same case” and “the same scenario” are vague references, and the latter introduces a comparison that contains incorrect figures. The opening and closing sentences repeat the task wording rather than helping organise the key findings. Use a distinct overview followed by logically grouped comparisons—for example, declining language categories and categories that increased or stayed stable. More precise referencing and less formulaic linking would make the relationships between figures clearer.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main comparisons, with relevant terms such as “proportions,” “decreased,” “remained,” and “increased.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, including “the same case,” “the same scenario,” and “coming down to.” “Other-language speakers” is also broad when the chart distinguishes “another language” from “two other languages.” Aim for more exact chart-reporting language and vary the verbs used to describe changes. For instance, you could say that a figure “fell” or “declined,” and that another “rose” or “increased.” More precise category labels would improve clarity as well as lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
Most sentences are understandable, and you use some variation, including a subordinate clause in “students who spoke no other language.” However, the response relies mainly on simple sentence patterns, and a few constructions are awkward or incomplete. “In the first chart, it shows that…” uses an unnecessary introductory “it,” while “The same case can be seen…” is an unnatural sentence pattern. The phrase “from 2000 to 2010” is clearer than “in those 11 years,” since the charts compare two years a decade apart. Try combining related comparisons in well-controlled complex sentences, while checking that each sentence has a clear subject and that time references accurately describe the period.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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