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)

The two pie charts illustrate the percentage of British students enrolled in one of the university of England, who were able to speak other languages other than English, in the years 2000 and 2010.

Overall, it was observed that majority of the students spoke no other language than English in the given years.

In 2000, there was majority of students who spoke no other language other than English, accounted for 30%. Spanish language share was the second most, with 20% of student as compared to French which accounted for 15%. German and two other languages shared the common proportion, making 20% overall.

On the other hand, the trend for no other language increased by 5% in 2010. Also, Spanish language fell from 20% to 10%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two years and report several relevant figures, including the rise in students speaking no other language (30% to 35%) and the fall in Spanish (20% to 10%). However, the response addresses the charts only partially: it gives little information about 2010 beyond those changes, omits the increases in “another language” and “two other languages,” and does not clearly compare all categories. The statement that most students spoke no other language is also inaccurate for 2000, when this was 30%, not a majority. The claim that German and two other languages together made 20% is correct but not clearly expressed. The response is 117 words, below the 150-word minimum; develop the overview and report the main changes across both charts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the figures and changes. The sequence from the 2000 data to the 2010 comparisons is generally easy to follow, and transitions such as “Overall” and “On the other hand” help signal the organisation. However, the final paragraph is very brief and does not develop a complete comparison, so the progression stops before the main features of the second chart are covered. Some linking is also mechanical: “On the other hand” suggests a contrast, although the sentence mainly reports changes over time. Use a fuller comparison paragraph and connect related increases and decreases more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “accounted for,” “share,” and “increased,” so the reader can understand the main topic and several trends. There is some variation in how figures are described. However, word choice and collocation are often awkward or repetitive, as in “other languages other than English,” “the second most,” and “common proportion.” “There was majority of students” is also an unnatural phrase, while “student” should be plural when referring to the group. Aim for concise, accurate expressions such as “students who spoke only English,” “the second-largest category,” and “the same proportion.” This would make the limited range more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including a relative clause in the opening sentence and a comparison using “as compared to.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable. However, control is uneven, particularly with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “one of the university of England” has an incorrect structure, and “there was majority of students” is missing an article. In “with 20% of student,” the noun should be plural; “German and two other languages shared the common proportion” also makes the relationship between the categories unclear. The response relies heavily on simple statements and does not consistently control more complex comparisons. Practise accurate comparative sentences and check articles and plural forms.

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