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 in front of their children. Less than 100 individuals spoke both Creole and Corsican when they had 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 by fewer 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 the analysis is inconsistent and contains significant inaccuracies. For example, the student states that 600 thousand parents spoke Alsatian and Occitan 'when they were child', which misinterprets the data labels. Furthermore, the summary of the second chart is confusing, as the student conflates the two categories (habitual and occasional) in a way that does not accurately reflect the data trends. While the report covers the main features, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the failure to clearly distinguish between the two charts limit the effectiveness of the response. A more careful reading of the axes and labels is required to ensure data accuracy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression is often hindered by confusing transitions and unclear referencing. For instance, the phrase 'In contrast, Creole and Corsican both were the lowest spoken' is followed by a paragraph that jumps between categories without clear signposting. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall' and 'In contrast', but they are sometimes applied mechanically or inaccurately. The relationship between the two charts is not clearly established, making the overall flow feel disjointed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. The student uses basic terms like 'youngsters', 'guardians', and 'toddlers' which are not always appropriate for a formal report on linguistic trends. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'spoke the highest Alsatian' and 'spoken by fewer than 300 thousand by people', which are grammatically awkward and imprecise. While the student attempts to use a range of language, the errors in word choice occasionally impede the clarity of the information being presented. Expanding the range of reporting verbs and using more precise terminology for data description would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('They all were spoke') and incorrect preposition usage ('spoken by fewer than 300 thousand by people'). Additionally, there are errors in sentence construction that make some parts of the report difficult to follow. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for common grammatical slips would help improve the accuracy of the writing.

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

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