Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-18
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 illustrate the ratio of French youngsters whose parents spoke a French native language to them when they were children and the proportion of those who passed French regional language to their own children.
Overall, the number of adults who spoke a regional language to their own children was considerably lower than the number who had been exposed to one during childhood. Alsatian was the most commonly passed-on language, while Occitan had the largest number of adults who had been spoken to in the language by their parents. In contrast, Corsican, Breton and Creole had the lowest figures.
By looking at the proportion of adults, the Alsatian was spoken by 600,000 people while Occitan was spoken by 600k individuals in the habitually and increased up to 1.5 million people occasionally. In addition, Breton contributed a small figure of enhancement of persons. However, creole and Corsican also made up a small difference.
Turning to the number of people who currently speak to their children in a Alsatian language are limited at 400,000 people. Moreover, Occitan is being spoken by 250,000 individuals while Breton contributed around 100 thousand people. The proportion of Creole and Corsican is between 0 to 100.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by comparing data regarding French regional languages across generations. An overview is successfully provided in the second paragraph, noting that fewer adults speak regional languages to their children than experienced in childhood. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the visual data. For instance, the student states that Occitan increased up to 1.5 million people occasionally, whereas the chart shows around 1.065 million. Furthermore, the description of the figures for individual languages is somewhat confused and selective. While key features are highlighted, the inaccuracies in data transcription prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into four paragraphs, following a logical layout with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Turning to'. However, referencing and cohesion within paragraphs occasionally falter, as seen in phrases like 'the Alsatian was spoken' or 'contributed a small figure of enhancement'. Paragraphing is appropriate for an Academic Task 1 report, providing a clear overall structure despite some clunky transitions.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic comparisons ('proportion', 'habitually', 'occasionally'). However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'French native language' instead of regional language, 'small figure of enhancement', and 'an Alsatian language'. Less common vocabulary is attempted but often handled inaccurately. Spelling is generally fine, but the lexical inaccuracies occasionally require the reader to interpret the intended meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('adults who spoke') and passive constructions ('had been exposed'). However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The chart illustrate', 'Occitan is being spoken... while Breton contributed'), missing or incorrect articles ('the Alsatian', 'a Alsatian language'), and awkward prepositions. While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they impede smooth reading and prevent the response from reaching Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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