Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-01

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 charts illustrate data on the percentage of British pupils at a particular university in England who could speak only English and other languages: Spanish, French, German, and another language in 2000 and 2011.

Overall, it is clear that the percentage of only English speakers ( no other language) was always on top og the list, while the percentage of Spanish speakers declined.In contrast, the ratio of German speakers was at the bottom of the list.

In 2000, the percentage of only English speakers ( no other language) was 30%. This meant they only knew one language to communicate. While the proportion of Spanish speakers stood at 20%.The proportion of French speakers and the other language speakers was 15%. By the way, the percentage of students who spoke German and the other two other languages was at the same ratio: 10%.

In 2010, the percentage of only English speakers ( no other language) increased at 35%. Even the percentage of other language speakers and the students who could speak in two other languages rose to 20% and 15%, while Spanish users and French language users proportion declined and shared at the same percentage: 10%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: the share speaking no other language was the largest in both years and Spanish declined. You also report most figures accurately, including the rise in “Another language” and “Two other languages.” However, the task refers to 2000 and 2010, whereas your introduction says 2011. The overview also says German was “at the bottom,” which is not accurate in 2000: German and two other languages were tied at 10%, and German remained at 10% in 2010 while French and Spanish fell to that level. Some comparisons are therefore incomplete or unclear. For a stronger response, check the year and give a precise overview of the main increases, decreases and unchanged category, while keeping the chart’s categories distinct.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear four-part structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for each year. This makes the information easy to locate, and time markers such as “In 2000” and “In 2010” help organise the comparisons. However, some links between ideas are awkward or mechanical. For example, “While the proportion of Spanish speakers stood at 20%” is a fragment, and “By the way” is an unsuitable transition in a formal report. The final paragraph also combines several changes in a long sentence, making the comparisons less clear. Use complete sentences and group figures by trend—for example, increases, decreases and unchanged values—to create smoother progression and clearer cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “declined” and “rose,” and the reader can generally understand the categories being compared. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for an academic report. “Was always on top of the list” is informal, “ratio” is not the best term for these percentages, and “Spanish users” and “French language users” sound awkward. There is also repetition of “percentage” and “speakers,” while “only English speakers” could be expressed more precisely as students who spoke no other language. Choose concise, conventional language for describing proportions and trends, and vary it without changing the meaning of the chart categories.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the contrast in “In contrast, the ratio of German speakers…” and the longer comparison in the final paragraph. Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems remain. “While the proportion of Spanish speakers stood at 20%” is an incomplete sentence, and “increased at 35%” uses the wrong preposition for a final value. In “Spanish users and French language users proportion declined,” the possessive structure is missing, and several spaces before punctuation or after opening brackets are incorrect. Check sentence boundaries, use “increased to” for a new figure, and proofread punctuation and noun phrases. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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