Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-16
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 given bar graphs depict a comparison on the frequency of regional language spoken by parents to them (adults) in childhood. While the other graph shows the number of adults in thousands who spoke a regional language such as Alsatian, Oeeitan, Creole, Breton and Corsican to their children.
Overall, during the childhood adults frequently spoke languages such as Alsatian and Oeeitan followed by Breton. Least proportion shared by Creole and Corsican. However Oeeitan was spoken rarely by the parents. Corsican was the rarest with a figure of 100 speakers. Later, when these adults (listeners) became parents their proportion of conversing in local language has declined gradually to less than 500. Nevertheless majority used Alsatian to communicate with their own children. Second position was held by Occitan.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified the main features of the charts, the analysis is underdeveloped. You mention specific languages but fail to provide a comprehensive overview of the data trends or meaningful comparisons between the two charts. The report lacks a clear summary of the overall decline in language usage across generations. To improve, ensure you cover all parts of the task, provide more detailed data points, and meet the minimum length requirement to allow for a full development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into two paragraphs, but the logical flow is somewhat disjointed. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraph is abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Nevertheless', the overall structure lacks a sophisticated progression of ideas. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'parents spoke a regional language to them', which is grammatically ambiguous. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You correctly identify the languages, but there are errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Oeeitan' (likely Occitan) and 'proportion shared by'. The repetition of basic verbs like 'spoke' and 'used' limits your lexical variety. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', or 'a significant downward trend', and ensure accurate spelling of proper nouns.
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 occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'a comparison on the frequency' should be 'a comparison of the frequency', and 'during the childhood adults frequently spoke' is awkward phrasing. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and more accurate sentence structure will help improve your accuracy.
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.