Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-27

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 6.5)

The bar charts illustrate the number of adults whose parents spoke different regional languages to them when they were children.

Overall, it is inferred that the use of regional languages declined over time. In the past, Alsatian and Occitan were the two most widely spoken regional languages among adults' parents, and although their numbers fell considerably, they remained the most common languages in the later period.

At first glance, the first chart shows that Alsatian and Occitan had the highest numbers of parents who spoke these languages both habitually and occasionally. By contrast, Creole and Corsican were the least commonly spoken languages in both categories. In addition, Breton ranked in the middle, with approximately 300,000 habitual speakers and around 400,000 occasional speakers.

The second chart shows that, despite a sharp decline in the numbers of Alsatian and Occitan speakers, these two languages still recorded the highest figures, at about 400,000 and 250,000 speakers respectively. In contrast, Breton experienced a significant decrease, with the number of speakers falling to just under 100,000. Meanwhile, Creole and Corsican remained at the bottom of the chart, with approximately 80,000 and 60,000 speakers respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the charts well, providing a clear overview and supporting details. You successfully identified the downward trend and highlighted the most significant languages, such as Alsatian and Occitan. However, the task requires a comparison of two distinct sets of data (parents speaking to children vs. adults speaking to their own children). While you mention the decline, the response could be improved by explicitly comparing the specific figures between the two charts more directly to highlight the shift in language transmission across generations. The data selection is relevant, and the key features are clearly presented, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Each paragraph has a central focus, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'By contrast', and 'Meanwhile' to link sentences and ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. The flow is smooth, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, which is characteristic of a Band 7.0 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'widely spoken', 'habitually and occasionally', and 'significant decrease' are used accurately. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, and the word choice is generally appropriate for an academic report. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it lacks the more sophisticated, idiomatic, or highly precise collocations that would push the score into the Band 8 range. Nevertheless, the range is more than adequate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response displays a good variety of complex structures, such as 'although their numbers fell considerably, they remained...' and 'despite a sharp decline in the numbers...'. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation and grammar is strong. There are no significant errors that impede communication. While the grammatical range is good, it remains somewhat standard; incorporating a wider variety of passive voice constructions or more complex subordinate clauses could further enhance the grammatical complexity.

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

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