Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-19

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 data of five regional languages spoken by the parents to their children either habitually or occassionally and the records (in thousands) to the individuals who speak these languages to their own children.

Overall, the Occitan language was leading language that spoken occassionaly, the equal number of the parents habitually spoked Alsatian and Occitan. These two languages are still contributing more while the remaining three languages are contributed less over the period.

The number of parents who used to speak Occitan language occassionally was the highest at 1.1 million followed by Breton by 400 thousands and Alsatian made up 250 thousands approximately.

The proportion of the individuals who used to speak Alsatian and Occitan habitually become equal by 600 thousands.

Turning to the data about the individuals who are using these languages to their own children, the same trend is observed here that the Alsatian contributed with the greater percentage at 400 thousands followed by Occitan 250 thousands roughly.

Finally, the Creole and the Corsican were recorded less common among the individuals having 100 thousands speakers marginally over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, but the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While you identify the highest and lowest figures, the description of the data is occasionally confusing, particularly when comparing the two charts. For instance, stating that 'the same trend is observed' when comparing the two charts is inaccurate because the data sets represent different groups (parents vs. individuals). Additionally, the use of '1.1 million' for 1,100 (thousands) is a significant error in data interpretation. To reach a higher band, ensure that you accurately transcribe the units provided in the prompt and provide a clearer, more logical comparison between the two sets of data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused. For example, 'Finally' is used to introduce the last paragraph, but the transition between the first and second paragraphs is abrupt. Some sentences lack logical flow, such as the second paragraph, which attempts to summarize but ends up being slightly repetitive. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult to track which language or group is being discussed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors ('occassionaly', 'occassionaly', 'spoked') and some awkward phrasing. You rely on basic verbs like 'contributed' and 'leading', which limits the precision of your report. There is also a lack of variety in how you describe the data trends. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends (e.g., 'predominate', 'account for', 'a significant proportion') and ensure you proofread for basic spelling mistakes, which currently detract from the professional tone of the report.

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. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('the Occitan language was leading language that spoken occassionaly') and incorrect verb forms ('habitually spoked'). There are also errors in preposition usage and sentence construction, such as 'the Alsatian contributed with the greater percentage at 400 thousands'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and verb tense consistency will help improve your accuracy.

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

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