Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-26

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 7.0)

The bar chart details the number of French adults, measured in thousands, who experienced five distinct regional languages during their childhood, broken down by whether those languages were spoken to them habitually or occasionally.

Overall, it is immediately apparent that Occitan was by far the most widely experienced regional language among French adults during their youth, particularly in informal or occasional contexts. In contrast, Corsican and Creole were the least prevalent languages across both communication frequencies. Furthermore, with the exception of Alsatian, every listed regional language was predominantly spoken to children on an occasional basis rather than habitually.

In terms of routine usage, Alsatian and Occitan stood out as the most prominent regional languages spoken habitually, with Alsatian recorded at 100,000 adults and Occitan slightly higher at approximately 300,000. Breton followed with a moderate presence of 150,000 individuals experiencing it habitually. On the lower end of regular daily usage, Creole and Corsican were barely represented, with Creole spoken habitually to 60,000 individuals and Corsican marking the lowest figure in this category at just 20,000 adults.

When examining occasional speech, the distribution changes dramatically, spearheaded by an exponential surge in Occitan exposure. An overwhelming 1,025,000 French adults reported that Occitan was spoken to them occasionally during their childhood, dwarping all other figures on the chart. Breton also saw an increase in this category, rising to 200,000 individuals. Interestingly, Alsatian bucked the general trend by being less common as an occasional language than a habitual one, dropping to 75,000 adults. Finally, both Creole and Corsican remained relatively marginal; Creole remained stagnant at 65,000, while the number of adults who heard Corsican occasionally rose to 75,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the prompt well, providing a clear and comprehensive overview of the data presented in the charts. The introduction successfully paraphrases the task prompt, and the overview highlights the most significant trends, such as Occitan being the most prominent language and the general preference for occasional usage over habitual use. However, there are significant data inaccuracies when compared to the source text. For example, the student states that Alsatian was recorded at 100,000 and Occitan at approximately 300,000 for habitual use, whereas the chart shows Alsatian at 600,000 and Occitan at 620,000. Similarly, the occasional figures cited for Occitan (1,025,000) and Alsatian (75,000) deviate notably from the source values (1,065,000 and 240,000 respectively). Despite these misreadings of the data, the structural organisation and selection of main trends are well executed, leading to a balanced assessment under the descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is logically organised and easy to follow. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from a clear introductory statement to a robust overall summary, followed by detailed body paragraphs analysing habitual and occasional speech respectively. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to guide the reader through the comparisons, using phrases such as "In contrast", "Furthermore", and "When examining occasional speech". Paragraphing is managed effectively, ensuring that ideas are clearly separated and easy to digest. Referencing is generally clear, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for an academic report. Words and phrases such as "distinct regional languages", "communication frequencies", "prevalent", and "exponential surge" show a good attempt at incorporating less common lexical items. While there are some inaccuracies in word choice and data interpretation, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication. Minor awkwardness in collocation is occasionally present, but overall the lexical resource is commendable and meets the criteria for a solid band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response displays a strong variety of complex sentence structures used with good control and accuracy. Examples include subordinate clauses and participial phrases such as "broken down by whether those languages were spoken to them habitually or occasionally" and "spearheaded by an exponential surge in Occitan exposure". The majority of sentences are grammatically sound, and punctuation is handled well throughout. Errors are very rare and do not impede communication, demonstrating a high level of grammatical control and a wide range of sentence forms appropriate for an academic task.

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

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