Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-13

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 number of French adults whose parents communicated in a regional language to them in childhood as well as the number who speak a French regional language to thier own children.

To begin with, 600 thousand adults whose parents had spoken Alsatian habitually, while around 250 thousand were spoken occasionally. Following this, individuals who had spoken Occitan occasionally represented the largest group, were recorded at about 1.05m thousand. In contrast, the lowest number of group were spoken Corsican habitually (150 thousand).

Nevertheless, number of children whose parents had spoken Alsatian as well as Occitan habitually fell considerably and stood at around 400 thousand and 250 thousand, respectively. However, number of parents whose children were spoken Creole and Corsican languages were no significant changes observed in terms of habitually or occasinally, both at 75 thousand as well as 50 thousand, respectively.

Overall, although the highest number of adults whose parents were spoken Occitan language, their children had spoken less as compare to them. By contrast, Creole and Corsican languages were less common among parents and their children, but the figures of both were almost similar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key trends and comparing the two sets of data. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the reporting of figures. For instance, the text states '1.05m thousand' for Occitan, which is confusing and mathematically incorrect. Additionally, the description of the data is sometimes imprecise, such as stating 'the lowest number of group were spoken Corsican', which lacks clarity. While the overview attempts to highlight the main trends, the lack of precision in data reporting and some awkward phrasing prevent the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, ensure that figures are transcribed accurately and that the relationship between the two charts is explained more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and an overview. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Following this', 'In contrast', and 'Nevertheless' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as the transition 'Following this' to introduce a new data point. Furthermore, the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the subject of the sentences becomes muddled. The overall progression is logical, but the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward sentence structures and minor errors in cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe the charts. There are attempts to use specific terminology like 'habitually' and 'occasionally'. However, there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the lowest number of group were spoken Corsican' and 'their children had spoken less as compare to them'. These errors occasionally impede the reader's understanding. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, and the misuse of '1.05m thousand' indicates a lack of precision in handling numerical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include '600 thousand adults whose parents had spoken Alsatian habitually' (missing a verb), 'number of children whose parents had spoken... fell' (missing articles), and 'number of parents whose children were spoken Creole... were no significant changes'. These errors are persistent and sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. While the writer attempts complex structures, the control over them is inconsistent, and punctuation errors are also present. Greater attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage is required.

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

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