The two bar charts show the proportion of 14-16-year-old students studying a modern foreign language in an English-speaking country and the top three popular foreign languages.

Proportion of students studying a modern foreign language 1984 and 2007 - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 9 · 173 words.

The bar charts illustrate the percentage of 14-to-16-year-old students learning a modern foreign language in an English-speaking country, alongside the popularity of the top three languages between 1984 and 2007. [Clear overview] Overall, language study saw a decline among both genders, though girls remained more likely to study a language than boys. Among the specific languages, French and German declined in popularity, while Spanish saw a modest increase.

In 1984, approximately 48% of girls studied a foreign language, compared to 30% of boys. By 2007, these [accurate data comparisons] figures had fallen to 40% and 25% respectively, maintaining a similar gender gap throughout the period.

In terms of specific subjects, French was the [varied vocabulary] dominant language in 1984, studied by 50% of students. German followed at 20%, while Spanish was the least popular at 5%. By 2007, the proportion of students taking French had halved to 25%. German also saw a slight decrease to 15%. In contrast, the [proper organization] percentage for Spanish doubled, reaching 10% by the end of the period.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptional response that fully meets the criteria for Band 9. It provides a clear, concise overview and selects the most significant data points for comparison without overcomplicating the description. The language is natural, sophisticated, and entirely error-free.

Task Achievement - 9

- All requirements of the task are fully satisfied, with a clear overview identifying the main trends for both charts. - Key features are skillfully selected and illustrated with accurate data (e.g., the 50% to 25% drop for French). - The comparison between genders and the individual language trends are presented clearly and sufficiently.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Information and ideas are logically organized with a clear progression from the general overview to specific data details. - Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the gender participation data from the specific language trends. - Cohesive devices such as 'respectively', 'In contrast', and 'By 2007' are used naturally to link ideas and data points.

Lexical Resource - 9

- A wide range of vocabulary is used accurately and appropriately (e.g., 'illustrate', 'alongside', 'decline', 'dominant', 'halved'). - There is skillful use of precise lexical items to describe data trends, such as 'modest increase' and 'gender gap'. - Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- A wide range of structures is used with full flexibility and accuracy (e.g., 'though girls remained more likely to...', 'reaching 10% by the end of the period'). - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is used correctly throughout the text. - Complex sentence forms, such as participial phrases and comparative structures, are handled with native-like control.

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