Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The pie chart compared the proportions of UK learners at one institution in England who able to speak different language in addition English, in 2000 to 2010.

Overall, the percentage of students who spoke no other language increased slightly, while the proportion able to speak spanish and french declined.

In 2000, the largest group was learners who told no other language, accounting for 30% of the total whereas, Spanish only was the second most common at 20%, while 15% told French only. Moreover, students talked 15% another languages. In addition, German only and two other language both stood at 10%.

In 2010, the proportion of students with no other language rose to 35%. In contrast, Spanish only fell sharply from 20% to 10% and French only decreased from 15% to 10%. Furthermore, German only remained unchanged at 10%. Meanwhile, students who said another language increased to 20%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall changes: the share reporting no other language rises, while Spanish and French decline, and most figures you give match the charts. However, the report is not fully complete: the 2010 figure for students speaking two other languages (15%) is omitted, and the overview could summarise the full pattern more clearly, including the growth in “another language.” The phrase “students who told no other language” also makes the category unclear. The response is three words below the required minimum of 150. Add the missing comparison and a little more precise overview to make the key features more fully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear, useful structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2000 and 2010. The chronological organisation makes the figures easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “In contrast,” “Furthermore,” and “Meanwhile” help signal comparisons. This is a coherent arrangement, with some effective progression between the years. To make the cohesion more natural and less list-like, group related changes together rather than reporting each figure in a sequence. For example, compare the two declining language categories in one sentence, then contrast them with the categories that increased or remained stable. Ensure each reference clearly identifies the category being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “accounting for,” “fell sharply,” “remained unchanged,” and “increased.” These choices communicate the main trends, but the range is limited and several word-choice or collocation errors reduce precision. “Students who told no other language” should be “students who spoke no other language,” while “students talked 15% another languages” is not a natural way to report a proportion. There are also form and spelling issues, such as “different language” and lowercase “spanish.” Aim for accurate chart-reporting phrases such as “accounted for,” “the proportion speaking,” and “rose by five percentage points.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and more complex comparisons, including “while the proportion able to speak Spanish and French declined” and “Spanish only fell sharply from 20% to 10%.” Most of the information remains understandable, but errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms are noticeable. The opening needs “who were able to speak” and “languages in addition to English”; “whereas” is incorrectly punctuated in “whereas, Spanish only”; and “German only and two other language both stood” has a number-agreement error. Some sentences also combine several comparisons awkwardly. Check verb forms, articles, plurals, and punctuation, and use a wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns.

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