Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-29

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)

From 2000, The below chart shows a very important detail about the languages British students speak in this university. From the given information, it can be clearly seen that the percentage of students who speak Spanish language only is 20% which is the most percentage of students presented in the given chart. It concludes that there is a high amount of spanish students studying there. After Spanish, French has the second highest percentage i.e. 15% which is still a big number. At third, we have German language students at 10% and two other languages at 10% as well. But, the graph also shows that 15% of students speak a different language from Spanish, German, and French. The highest number students in that university is of the students who speak no other language. From this chart, we can conclude that almost half percentage of students speak European languages thus means that that a lot of European students are studying there.

After a decade, the numbers change significantly. From the given information, the Spanish and French language percentage has dropped a lot i.e. both adding 20% while in 2000, this amount added upto 35%. On the other hand, the amount of German language is same means it has a consistent ratio of students who speak German i.e. 10% which is the same case in 2000. The percentage of another language has increased by 5% in 2010 which means that students from other sectors were also studying there in 2010. But, the important piece of imformation from 2010's chart is the percentage of no other language is 35% which is almost 1/3rd of total percentage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report several key figures accurately, including Spanish at 20% and French at 15% in 2000, and the rise in students speaking no other language to 35% in 2010. However, the response only partially fulfils the task because it lacks a clear, concise overview of the main changes across both charts. Some comparisons are also inaccurate: Spanish and French together fell from 35% to 20%, not “adding 20%,” and the 2010 share for two other languages, which rose to 15%, is omitted. The claim that the figures show “a lot of European students” is unsupported; the charts describe language ability, not students’ origins. Focus on the overall pattern and compare the most significant categories without drawing conclusions beyond the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into two paragraphs, one for each year, and uses signposts such as “After a decade” and “On the other hand” to guide the reader. This gives it some organisation, but the progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph moves from individual figures to an unsupported conclusion, while the second mixes changes with repeated descriptions of categories. Several transitions, including “At third” and “But,” feel mechanical or do not show the precise relationship between ideas. A clearer structure would introduce an overview, then group the main comparisons—for example, declining language-specific shares versus increases in “another language” and “two other languages.” Use linking phrases to express accurate comparisons rather than simply listing categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-related terms, including “percentage,” “consistent ratio,” and “increased,” so the meaning is generally understandable. However, some wording is repetitive or imprecise, such as “given information,” “big number,” and “amount of students.” There are also collocation and word-choice problems: “adding 20%” does not clearly express the combined share, and “Spanish students” incorrectly suggests nationality rather than language ability. Spelling slips such as “imformation” and inconsistent capitalisation of “Spanish” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise chart language, such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “fell by,” and avoid interpreting language categories as students’ backgrounds.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, using clauses introduced by “which,” “that,” and “while.” Most of the message remains understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “the Spanish and French language percentage has dropped” has an awkward singular subject, and “both adding 20%” is not a complete or well-formed comparison. The sentence beginning “The highest number students” is also missing a grammatical link between “number” and “students.” There are occasional punctuation and capitalisation issues, including “From 2000, The below chart.” Practise forming direct comparison sentences with accurate subjects and verbs, such as “The proportions for Spanish and French fell,” and check articles and sentence boundaries.

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