Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-30

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 charts below illustrates the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak foriegn languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, It is evident that in 2000 and 20010 both years no other language was the dominant sector while in 2000 german and two other languages was the smallest but in 2010 along with german, spanish and french were at lowest sector.

In 2000, no other language was at significant sector around 30 percent, while spanish was at 20 percent alongwith french and another laguage was at just a slight difference of 5 percent means they are at 15 percent. Finally, German and two other languages was at the smallest proportion holding 10 percent of student that can speak languages in addition to English.

Meanwhile, In 2010 no other language was the only sector holding largest proportion of 35 percent but Spansh and French dropped from its percentage uotp 10 percent and become equal to German as they all are holding 10 percent. Moving forward another and two other language both rose upto 5 percent andholding at 15 and 20 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that “No other language” was the largest category in both years, and you compare several figures across the charts. However, some key data are misreported: in 2010, “Another language” rose to 20%, while “Two other languages” reached 15%; your final sentence reverses these values. The overview also incorrectly says Spanish and French were among the lowest categories in 2010: both were 10%, tied with German, but the smallest categories should be described as a three-way tie. The response covers the charts, but these inaccuracies and the limited selection of comparisons make the reporting only partly complete. Check each figure against the chart before summarising.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. This helps the reader follow the year-by-year account. However, progression within sentences is sometimes unclear, particularly in the overview’s long contrast between the smallest categories in each year. Linking phrases such as “Finally” and “Meanwhile” are used, but some connections are awkward or do not clearly show the relationship between the figures. The final sentence also combines two increases without making the reversed values easy to detect. Use shorter, clearly focused comparisons and organise the details consistently—for example, report the largest category first, then the changes in the remaining categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportions,” “dominant,” “dropped,” and “rose,” so the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend to make. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “at significant sector,” “holding largest proportion,” and “dropped from its percentage.” Spelling errors—including “foriegn,” “laguage,” and “Spansh”—also reduce precision. Some phrases are repeated rather than varied, especially “sector” and “proportion.” Aim for standard data-reporting expressions such as “accounted for,” “stood at,” and “increased by,” and proofread spelling so that the figures and categories are communicated clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons joined with “while” and “but.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships harder to follow. For example, “The charts below illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, while “german and two other languages was the smallest” has problems with agreement and sentence structure. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “Overall, It” and “Meanwhile, In 2010.” Work on matching verbs to singular or plural subjects, and divide long sentences into shorter clauses with clear punctuation. More accurate control of these basic patterns would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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