Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22

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 6.5)

The bar charts illustrate the number of adults in thousands who experienced five regional languages in their childhood compared to the number who currently speak these languages to their own children.Overall, there is a clear generational decline across all five regional languages. While Occitan was the most widely spoken language during the adults' childhoods due to high occasional usage, Alsatian has become the most widely transmitted language to the next generation.Regarding childhood exposure, Alsatian was the most common language spoken habitually, reaching approximately 600,000 adults, followed by Occitan at around 300,000 and Breton at roughly 150,000. Conversely, Occitan dominated occasional usage, spoken to over 1 million adults. Breton was spoken occasionally to about 400,000 people, while Alsatian dropped to around 250,000 in this category. Creole and Corsican remained the least spoken languages in both childhood categories, hovering well below 100,000 speakers each.When looking at the next generation, transmission rates dropped significantly. Alsatian is currently spoken to the most children at about 400,000. Occitan witnessed the most drastic drop, falling to roughly 250,000 children despite its previous popularity. Breton, Creole, and Corsican continue to face dwindling numbers, with Breton spoken to under 100,000 children, and Creole and Corsican spoken to fewer than 80,000 children each.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing childhood exposure to five regional languages with current transmission rates to the next generation. A clear overview is provided, highlighting the general generational decline and identifying key trends such as Occitan's dominance in occasional childhood usage versus Alsatian's dominance in transmission. Most figures cited are generally accurate and support the main comparisons well, although there is a slight misreading of the habitual data for Alsatian and Occitan in the third paragraph (stating Alsatian reached 600,000 habitually, while Occitan was around 300,000, whereas the chart shows Occitan at 620,000 habitual and Alsatian at 600,000). Despite this minor numerical inaccuracy, the response covers the key features effectively and presents a coherent overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an appropriate introductory sentence and a well-formulated overview paragraph. The body paragraphs are logically structured, moving from childhood exposure (habitual and occasional) to the next generation's transmission rates. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to link ideas, such as 'While', 'Conversely', and 'When looking at the next generation'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively to separate distinct aspects of the data, ensuring the essay flows smoothly from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Less common lexical items and collocations are used with reasonable success, such as 'generational decline', 'habitual usage', 'transmission rates', and 'drastic drop'. There are occasional slight inaccuracies or awkward phrasings, but these do not impede communication. Spelling is accurate throughout, and the writer shows good awareness of style by avoiding repetitive structures when describing trends and quantities.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

A good variety of complex sentence structures is deployed effectively, including subordinate clauses introduced by 'while', 'despite', and participial phrases. The majority of sentences are error-free, and control of grammar and punctuation is generally strong. Minor slips are rare and do not interfere with the reader's understanding. The verb tenses are handled appropriately to distinguish between past childhood experiences and current transmission habits.

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