Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-12

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 chart below illustrates the magnitude of adult citizens who spoke French regional language with their parents during their childhood and the number of adults who spoke French regional language to their own children.

Overall, in terms of speaking habitually, Alsatian was spoken by 600 thousand parents while Occitan was roughly above 600 thousand parents. Afterwards, the graph faced a gradual downward trend with Corsican being the least spoken language. However, the graph was more inflated in terms of language being spoken occasionally. Occitan was the most spoken language in both graphs where it had above 1 million speakers among the languages spoken ocassionally. Here, afterwards, the graph's trend becomes downward with Corsican being the least spoken language here too.

Contrarily, we can observe major graphical differences between adults who spoke regional language to their own children and the adults whose parents spoke a regional language with them. In the first one, we can clearly see Alsatian was the most spoken language while Corsican was the least spoken one. Among all the graphs,Corsican was the least spoken language.

Between the two graphs where adults spoke a regional language, in the graph of spoken habitually ,Occitan was the most spoken language with roughly over 600 thousand people. Just below Occitan, Alsatian was the second most spoken language with 600 thousand people. Occitan was followed by Breton, Creole and Corsican in a chronological order. Breton was spoken by approximately 300 thousand people while Creole was spoken by 100 thousands and Corsican was just below it with speakers being less than 100 thousands. In terms of occasional speaking, Occitan was the most spoken with almost 1.1 million speakers followed up by Breton, which was the 2nd most spoken with 400 thousand people. Alsatian was spoken by just above 200 thousand speakers while Creole and Corsican had a similar trend while the latter having 100 thousand speakers and Creole was roughly above it.

Among the number of adults who spoke a regional language to their own children, Alsatian was leading by a mammoth 400 thousand adult speakers. Occitan was in the 2nd position with speakers numbering in roughly 250s. Breton,Creole and Corsican was in a chronological order with having less than 100 thousand adult speakers. Corsican was the least spoken among the three.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to address the task by comparing data across the charts showing the number of adults whose parents spoke a regional language to them versus those who speak to their own children. However, the response suffers from significant structural redundancy, with the writer essentially repeating the description of the data twice across different paragraphs, leading to a confusing and poorly organised overview of the visual information. Key features such as overall trends and prominent categories are mentioned, but the delivery lacks clear selection and comparison. Specific figures are provided, such as Alsatian at 600 thousand and Occitan at over 600 thousand, yet the lack of a clear, concise overview and repetitive narrative pull the task achievement down into the Band 5.5 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Coherence and cohesion are problematic in this response. Although paragraphing is attempted, the division of ideas is illogical and repetitive, with the writer restarting descriptions multiple times. There is a lack of clear progression throughout the text, and referencing is sometimes confusing, such as abrupt transitions between the two main categories of data. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inaccurately, such as 'Here, afterwards, the graph's trend becomes downward', which impedes the natural flow of information. While the text is readable, the overall arrangement lacks the clear logical progression required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'magnitude', 'chronological order', and 'mammoth'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'speaking habitually', 'more inflated in terms of language being spoken occasionally', and spelling slips like 'ocassionally'. The repetition of simple descriptive phrases ('the most spoken language', 'the least spoken language') limits lexical flexibility. Communication is not seriously impeded, but the vocabulary control remains at a modest level, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability with subordinate clauses and comparative structures. However, grammatical errors and awkward syntax occur with some frequency, such as 'Creole and Corsican had a similar trend while the latter having 100 thousand speakers' and 'Breton,Creole and Corsican was in a chronological order with having less than 100 thousand adult speakers.' Subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'Breton,Creole and Corsican was') and awkward prepositional usage surface throughout the text. These errors do not entirely obscure the meaning, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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