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 bar graph illustrates the comparison of the number of individuals whose parents spoke a French regional language to the in childhood and the individuals who converse in a regional language to their own children. The data presents languages like Alsatian, Occitan, Breton, Creole and Corsican.

The number of adults whose parents converse with them habitually in Alsatian were about [redacted phone] which falls dramatically for [redacted phone] for speaking occasionally. Moreover, for Occitan it was [redacted phone] for speaking habitually and 1.08 million occasionally. Remaining languages were comparatively lower for communicating habitually that is Breton, Creole and Corsican it was [redacted phone], [redacted phone] and 90000 respectively. Whereas, communicating occasionally for the same languages it was [redacted phone] for Breton, [redacted phone] for Creole and [redacted phone] for Corsican.

Comparatively, the number of people who converse in regional language to their own children has declined. The number are [redacted phone] for Alsatian, [redacted phone] for Occitan, 90000 for Breton, 70000 for Creole and 50000 for Corsican. Therefore comparing the the graphs and data shown it is apparent that the number of adults speaking a French regional language to their own children than the individuals whose parents spoke in a regional language to them has seen declining.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by describing the data for both charts. However, the reporting is somewhat mechanical, listing figures without sufficient synthesis or a clear overview of the main trends. While the prompt asks for a report, the analysis lacks a cohesive summary of the overall decline across all languages. The comparison between the two charts is attempted in the final paragraph, but it could be more effectively integrated throughout the report to highlight the shift in language usage. The data is generally accurate, but the presentation is more of a list than a comparative analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally awkward. For example, the transition 'Comparatively' is used to start the final paragraph, but the logical flow between the second and third paragraphs is slightly disjointed. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final sentence where the phrasing 'has seen declining' is grammatically incomplete and confusing. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved to create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, covering the necessary terminology related to the charts. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'habitually' and 'occasionally', which are used appropriately. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'the number are' instead of 'the numbers are' and 'has seen declining' instead of 'has seen a decline'. While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the score as the range is not sufficiently flexible or precise to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The number are'), incorrect preposition usage ('falls dramatically for 250000'), and awkward phrasing ('the number of adults speaking... has seen declining'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the overall control of complex structures is inconsistent.

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

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