Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-22

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 supplied bar charts illustrate the proportion of French adults to whom their parents used to spoke a local French language in their childhood. Furthermore, these charts also demonstrate the use of the same languages by these adults with their children.

Overall, it is immediately apparent that the fraction of adults speaking those languages has declined. Moreover, French parents used to speak Alsatian more habitually but Occitan and Creole occasionally.

In past, exactly 600 parents were speaking Alsatian and Occitan habitually while over 200 were speaking Alsatian and one million were communicating in Occitan occasionally. Breton was spoken by approximately 300 parents daily while by 400 at occasional events. Finally, parents speaking in Creole and Corsican were plateaued at 100.

Now, 400 adults are communicating in Aisatian with their children while about 250 are using Occitan. On the contrary, other languages are used by less tahn 100 adults

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While the report attempts to cover the main features of the charts, the data interpretation is inconsistent and contains inaccuracies. For instance, the reference to 'one million' for Occitan is not supported by the provided data, and the description of the figures is somewhat vague. The overview is present but lacks the necessary precision to fully highlight the trends across all languages mentioned in the charts. To improve, ensure all data points are accurately transcribed and that the response meets the minimum length requirement to allow for a full development of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Overall', and 'On the contrary'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the transition between the past and present data could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for a report, but the overall progression of ideas is hindered by the brevity of the text and the lack of detailed analysis. Strengthening the use of linking phrases and ensuring clear logical progression between the two time periods would improve the coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. There are some errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Aisatian' (instead of Alsatian) and 'tahn' (instead of than). The use of 'plateaued' is a good attempt at describing data, but it is applied to figures that do not necessarily show a plateau in the context of the chart. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise terminology for describing trends and ensure that spelling is accurate. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'speaking' and 'communicating' would also enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'parents used to spoke' is incorrect; it should be 'used to speak'. Additionally, 'In past' should be 'In the past'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'speaking in Creole'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic tense consistency and correct prepositional phrases will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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