Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below show the number of French adults whose parents spoke a French regional language to them when they were children and the number who speak a French regional language to their own children.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

Number of adults (in thousands) whose parents spoke a regional language to them in childhood

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar charts illustrate the numbers of French youngsters who spoke regional languages habitually and occasionally. Moreover, they spoke regional languages in front of their children.

Overall, Alsatian and Occitan both were the highest spoken by parents when they were children. Occitan was spoken occasionally higher than habitually. In contrast, Creole and Corsican both were the lowest spoken by individuals.

Habitually, 600 thousand parents spoke both Alsatian and Occitan when they were child. Around 250 thousand guardians used Breton as a regional language Infront of their Children. Less than 100 individuals spoke both Creole and Corsican when they have their own children.

Occasionally, more than 1 million parents used the Occitan language in front of their Children. In contrast, less than 400 thousand people used Alsatian, Breton, Creole and Corsican as a regional language in front of their toddlers.

When these adults became parents themselves, the use of every regional language declined noticeably. They all were spoke the highest Alsatian as a regional language. The figure for Occitan fell sharply, while Breton, Creole and Corsican were spoken less than 300 thousand by people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by describing the provided charts, but it struggles with accuracy and clarity. The overview is somewhat confusing, as it conflates the two charts (parents' experience vs. current usage) and misinterprets the data labels. For instance, the report mentions '600 thousand' for both Alsatian and Occitan, but the data presentation is inconsistent. Furthermore, the distinction between 'habitual' and 'occasional' usage is not clearly explained, and the summary of the second chart is imprecise. To improve, you must ensure that the data points cited are accurate and that the comparison between the two charts is logically structured, rather than listing figures in a way that obscures the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused, such as the abrupt transition 'In contrast' which is used repeatedly without clear logical justification. Referencing is also problematic; for example, the phrase 'when they were child' and the shift between 'parents' and 'adults' creates confusion regarding who is being described. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. You rely on basic descriptors like 'highest' and 'lowest' and struggle with collocations related to data reporting. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'Infront of their Children' and 'spoken less than 300 thousand by people'. The repetition of 'regional language' and 'parents' suggests a limited vocabulary range. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated reporting verbs and nouns, such as 'declined significantly', 'the majority of', or 'the figures for...'. Avoid informal phrasing like 'toddlers' when referring to children in a formal report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but errors are frequent and sometimes impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'They all were spoke') and tense usage (e.g., 'when they have their own children'). Additionally, there are errors with prepositions and articles, such as 'in front of their Children' (capitalization error) and 'less than 100 individuals'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these grammatical slips prevents the writing from achieving a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic verb forms and ensuring consistent tense usage throughout the report.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.