The pie charts below show responses by teachers of foreign languages in Britain to a survey concerning why their students are learning a foreign language. The first chart shows the main reason for learning a foreign language. The second chart shows how many teachers felt that there has been a recent change in the reason.
Sample Response
The given pie charts elucidate the opinions of some British foreign language teachers about the primary causes for students to learn a second language. Overall, career, travel and purchasing overseas property are three main reasons which were reported earlier for people to develop a second language skill and recent changes show that more people started learning the language due to other factors like social contact. According to the first diagram, one-third of the teachers in Britain who teach a foreign language believe that people learn a second language so that they can travel. According to them, career prospect is the second most important reason that drives just over one-fourth of the language learners. Interestingly, 19% of students learned the language to be able to buy property while personal development and social contact each as a reason were reported by 7% of teachers. The least percentage of tutors believe that people learn a language to have a foreign partner. The second pie chart, however, shows that there had been some changes and property purchase in a foreign country was reported as the main reason for learning a language. Career, according to this diagram, was the second most favoured reason while social contact attracted. Only 3% of teachers at that survey believed that people learn a second language to travel. All other reasons contributed to just above 10% of student's learning a foreign language.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use direct chart verb Original: elucidate the opinions Suggested revision: show the responses Why it matters: The charts report survey responses rather than developed opinions.
- 2. Use natural phrasing Original: causes for students to learn Suggested revision: reasons why students learn Why it matters: Reasons why is the idiomatic construction for motivations to learn.
- 3. Fix number agreement Original: career prospect is Suggested revision: career prospects are Why it matters: Prospects is normally plural here and therefore takes are.
- 4. Report respondents accurately Original: drives just over one-fourth of the language learners Suggested revision: was cited by 26% of the teachers Why it matters: The percentage represents teachers' survey responses, not a share of learners directly measured.
- 5. Correct surveyed group Original: 19% of students learned the language Suggested revision: 19% of teachers cited learning a language Why it matters: The chart records the percentage of teachers reporting each reason.
- 6. Include overseas detail Original: to be able to buy property Suggested revision: to buy property overseas Why it matters: The category specifically concerns buying property overseas.
- 7. Fix clause structure Original: personal development and social contact each as a reason were reported by 7% of teachers Suggested revision: personal development and social contact were each cited by 7% of teachers Why it matters: The revision places each correctly and removes the awkward embedded phrase.
- 8. Compare proportions correctly Original: The least percentage of tutors Suggested revision: The smallest proportion of teachers Why it matters: Smallest proportion is the standard expression for the lowest survey share.
- 9. Match category wording Original: to have a foreign partner Suggested revision: because of a foreign partner Why it matters: The revision describes the chart category without implying that learning creates a partner.
- 10. Use reporting structure Original: there had been some changes Suggested revision: teachers reported several recent changes Why it matters: The active clause clearly identifies who reported the changes shown.
- 11. Use concise category Original: property purchase in a foreign country Suggested revision: buying property overseas Why it matters: This wording matches the category label and is more concise.
- 12. Describe increase chart Original: the main reason for learning a language Suggested revision: the largest reported recent increase in language learning Why it matters: The second chart measures reported recent increases, not the main reason itself.
Suggested Rewrites
- elucidate the opinions show the responses
- causes for students to learn reasons why students learn
- career prospect is career prospects are
- drives just over one-fourth of the language learners was cited by 26% of the teachers
- 19% of students learned the language 19% of teachers cited learning a language
- to be able to buy property to buy property overseas
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response accurately reports most proportions in the first chart and identifies overseas property purchase as the largest area of recent increase. However, coverage of the second chart is selective, and the claim that all remaining reasons contributed just above 10% is inaccurate. Prioritise a complete comparison of the major second-chart shares, especially social contact and no change at 15% each, while checking sentence completeness.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The first chart is described accurately and the leading changes in the second are identified, but several significant second-chart categories are omitted or misrepresented.
Include the 15% shares for social contact and no change and replace the inaccurate generalisation about all remaining reasons with precise figures.
Coherence and Cohesion
The chart-by-chart progression is easy to follow, though the overview is somewhat vague and one incomplete comparison interrupts the flow.
Give each chart a clearly developed detail section and complete every comparative link rather than ending with a fragment.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied enough to discuss reasons and changes, but awkward collocations and imprecise wording appear repeatedly.
Use natural phrases such as 'reasons for learning,' 'career prospects,' and 'the smallest proportion of teachers.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response attempts a range of complex structures, but agreement, sentence-completion, and possessive errors reduce control.
Proofread for subject–verb agreement, complete clauses after 'while,' and correct plural possession such as 'students' reasons.'
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The pie charts below show responses by teachers of foreign languages in Britain to a survey concerning why their students are learning a foreign language. The first chart shows the main reason for learning a foreign language. The second chart shows how many teachers felt that there has been a recent change in the reason.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.