Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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 pie charts illustrate the shares of Bristish students at one university in England who were able to speak multiple languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010. Overall, it can be seen that, both the charts cover a noticeable fraction of no other languages and the share for german language is also the same for both the charts.

To begin with, the graph of 2000 represents many various types of languages that the students are capable of speaking. Among them, the fraction: No other language covers the highest share, that is 30%. Second is Spanish at 20%. The fractions: Two other languages and german covers the same percentage which is at 10%. French and another language both represents around 15% each.

The graph of 2010 portrays a different picture, that is the fraction for no other langauge again is the highest among the rest which is at 35%. Another language here covers 20% area and spanish, french and german covers a total of 30% area, where each represents a area of 10%. And two other languages covers a area of 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and report several figures accurately, including the largest shares in both years (no other language: 30% and 35%) and the unchanged German figure (10%). You also note the rise in “another language” and “two other languages.” However, the overview is unclear: saying both charts cover “a noticeable fraction of no other languages” does not clearly summarise the overall change, and the response does not explicitly compare the decline in Spanish and French. The statement that Spanish, French and German total 30% in 2010 is correct, but listing their individual values would make the comparison more informative. Develop a clearer overview of the key shifts and compare the main categories directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This makes the year-by-year information reasonably easy to locate. However, progression is limited because most details are listed within each year rather than organised around meaningful comparisons between the charts. Linking phrases such as “To begin with” and “The graph of 2010 portrays a different picture” do not explain the relationships between the figures, and repeated constructions such as “the fraction … covers” make the writing feel mechanical. The overview also combines two points without clearly showing their significance. Grouping changes—for example, decreases in Spanish and French versus increases in other categories—would create a clearer line of development.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the chart information, including “shares,” “fraction,” “percentage,” and “represents.” However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing pie-chart data. “Covers 20% area” and “covers the highest share” are awkward collocations; “accounts for” or “makes up” would be more natural. “Multiple languages” may also suggest that all students speak more than one additional language, whereas the chart includes students speaking one other language. There are spelling errors in “Bristish,” “langauge,” and “german,” and capitalisation of language names is inconsistent. Use precise chart vocabulary consistently and check spelling and proper nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, errors in agreement and sentence construction occur often enough to make the writing less controlled. For example, “French and another language both represents” should use “represent,” while “Two other languages covers” should use “cover.” The phrase “both the charts cover” is also awkwardly constructed, and “each represents a area” has an article error. Some sentences become difficult to follow when several figures are joined together, as in the sentence about Spanish, French and German totalling 30%. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and clear sentence boundaries, while varying sentence patterns without overloading them.

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