Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-19

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 5.0)

The bar charts illustrates 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.

Overall, numbers of adults whose parents spoke Occitan habitually or occasionally to them in childhood is high in thousands, while Corsican has less than other languages. On the other hand, amount of youth who speak a regional Alsatian language to their own children is highest amoung other languages.

Number of youngsters whose parents spoke Alsatian language habitually is 600 thousands but their numbers are less when they spoke occasionally is almost 300 thousands. While, Occitan spoke habitually around 6100 thousand is increased to more than 1m occasionally. The Breton is nearly 300 thousands is rised to 400 thousands from habitually to occasionally respectively. The rest of two languages Creole and Corsican are least spoken in both areas of habitually and occasionally about 100 thousands.

On the other hand, adults who speak a regional language to their own children, Alsatian has a highest number that is 400 thousands. While, other languages are gradually decreased. Occitan is stood at 250 thousand, and Breton, Creole and Corsican are at around 90, 80 and 60 thousands respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover all parts of the prompt by describing the main features of the charts. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in reading the data. For instance, the text states 'Occitan spoke habitually around 6100 thousand' instead of 620 thousand, and misinterprets the scale and figures repeatedly (e.g., 'Alsatian language habitually is 600 thousands but their numbers are less when they spoke occasionally is almost 300 thousands', whereas the chart shows 240 thousand). The overview is attempted in the second paragraph, but it contains vague expressions and factual misreadings (e.g., 'amount of youth who speak a regional Alsatian language... is highest amoung other languages'). Because of these prominent data errors and under-developed comparisons, the response falls into Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into four paragraphs, which shows an attempt at logical structure (introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the different charts). However, the progression within paragraphs is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing sentence construction (e.g., 'While, Occitan spoke habitually around...'). Cohesive devices are used mechanically or incorrectly ('On the other hand', 'While'), and referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow the relationships between ideas. Paragraphing is present, but overall internal cohesion is faulty, justifying a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, with frequent word-choice errors and imprecise terminology (e.g., 'amount of youth', 'youngsters', 'the rest of two languages'). There are also numeration errors caused by lexical confusion (e.g., writing '6100 thousand'). While the student attempts some less common terms like 'habitually' and 'occasionally' (borrowed directly from the prompt), the range is limited and noticeable errors in collocation and phrasing cause some difficulty for the reader. This performance aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many complex forms are faulty and feature severe grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The bar charts illustrates', 'numbers of adults... is high', 'Alsatian has a highest number') and awkward dangling modifiers ('While, Occitan spoke habitually...'). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are often misused, leading to incomplete or run-on thoughts. Frequent errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader, placing this response firmly at Band 5.0.

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

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