Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-28

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 6.0)

The bar chart depicts the number of French adults whose parents spoke regional language to them during their childhood with those adults who currently speak it to their own children

Overall, it is evident that the proportion of occasional speakers dominated the habitual category in terms of speakers. In contrast, Alsatian language accounted for highest adult speakers, who currently speak to their own children.

The Occitan language accounted for the greatest numbers of speakers in both habitual and occasional categories. However, 600,000 peoples spoke Alsatian habitually as compared to occasional proportion which was more than 200,000 speakers. Furthermore, the Corsican language accounted for the lowest figures in this chart in both habitual and occasional categories with just under 200,000 and exactly 200,000 speakers respectively.

On the other hand, the Alsatian language registered exactly 400,000 adult parents who speak a regional language to their own children. Consequently, Breton and Creole witnessed just under 100,000 adult speakers. In this chart Corsican recorded the lowest number of regional language speakers approximately 70,000 speakers which was the lowest among all categories.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student attempts to address all parts of the task by comparing data across the two charts concerning regional languages in France. However, there are notable inaccuracies in reading the data. For instance, the text states that '600,000 peoples spoke Alsatian habitually as compared to occasional proportion which was more than 200,000 speakers'—while the habitual figure for Alsatian is correct (600,000), the occasional figure is 240,000, and the phrase 'more than 200,000' is vague. Furthermore, the claim that Corsican accounted for 'exactly 200,000 speakers respectively' is incorrect according to the visual data (where habitual is 85 and occasional is 105, in thousands). The overview is also somewhat weak and confused regarding proportions. This places the response in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range; it covers the main graphics but contains noticeable data errors and under-developed comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is divided into four paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework for an introduction, an overview, and supporting body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is occasionally disrupted by confusing comparisons and imprecise cohesive devices. For example, the transition 'On the other hand' in the final paragraph is used inappropriately because the data presented does not form a direct contrast to the preceding paragraph. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the pronoun use and abrupt shifts between categories. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion can be mechanical or faulty, warranting a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate topic-specific terms such as 'habitually', 'occasional', 'proportion', and language names like 'Alsatian', 'Occitan', and 'Breton'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'regional language' missing a plural or article in places, 'peoples' instead of 'people', and imprecise reporting of figures. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the lexical range remains somewhat limited and repetitive, which aligns with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('whose parents spoke regional language to them'). However, grammar and punctuation errors are frequent throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('depicts the number of French adults', 'accounted for highest adult speakers'), missing pluralisation ('regional language' instead of 'regional languages'), and awkward phrasing ('adult parents'). Punctuation is also lacking in places, such as missing commas after introductory phrases. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5.

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

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