Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-25

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 compare the number of French adults whose parents communicated with them in a regional language during their childhood with the number of adults who currently speak a regional language to their own children.

Overall, the regional language Occitan was the most highly spoken language, both habitually and occasionally, to adults when they were children. In contrast, adults today prefer to speak Alsatian with their own children. Creole and Corsican were the least spoken languages across all scenarios.

On an occasional basis, Occitan was by far the most prominent language used by parents, tracking at just over 1 million adults. However, this figure dropped to around 600,000 when spoken habitually, which was matched closely by Alsatian at 600,000 adults. A significant drop to 250,000 adults was noticed for Alsatian when spoken occasionally. The regional languages Breton, Creole, and Corsican were the least spoken languages on a habitual basis, standing at roughly 260,000, 100,000, and 90,000 adults respectively. However, a significant rise to 400,000 adults was noticed for the Breton language when spoken occasionally.

Regarding the second chart, Alsatian was the most widely spoken language by adults with their own children, reaching 400,000. This value dropped to 250,000 for Occitan. Meanwhile, the other three languages remained the least spoken, each accounting for fewer than 100,000 adults.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the prompt well, providing a clear comparison between the two charts. An overview is successfully presented in the second paragraph, capturing the main trends. Key data points are selected and reported accurately, such as Occitan leading in childhood exposure with over 1 million occasional speakers and Alsatian being the most common language passed to own children at 400,000. Minor data misinterpretations occur in paragraph three, where the student appears to confuse the habitual and occasional figures for Alsatian ('A significant drop to 250,000 adults was noticed for Alsatian when spoken occasionally' whereas the chart shows 240,000 for occasional and 600,000 for habitual). Despite this minor confusion with figures, the overall response is well-developed and meets the requirements of Task 1 effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a clear logical progression and overall arrangement. Information is logically divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific details from the charts. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'On an occasional basis', and 'Meanwhile' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph serving a distinct function in presenting the report. Referencing is generally clear, contributing to a smooth reading experience throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. Phrases like 'by far the most prominent', 'tracking at', and 'remaining the least speckled/spoken' show an attempt to use varied language. There are minor inaccuracies in lexical choice and collocation, such as 'tracking at' instead of 'peaking at' or 'standing at', and a slight slip in describing data movement ('drop to 250,000' when comparing categories rather than trends over time). However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information clearly and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student displays a good variety of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms successfully. Examples include relative clauses and participial phrases such as 'adults whose parents communicated with them...' and 'when spoken habitually'. The majority of sentences are grammatically accurate, and punctuation is well controlled. Errors are infrequent and do not impede communication; for instance, the sentence structures flow naturally and demonstrate a solid grasp of English grammar suitable for a band 7 score.

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

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