Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)
The two bar charts compare the number of French adults whose parents spoke a regional language to them during their childhood with the number of adults who currently speak a regional language to their own children.Overall, it is manifest that all listed regional languages have experienced a significant decline in usage between the two generations. Furthermore, while Occitan was the most dominant language experienced by the adults in their childhood, Alsatian has emerged as the most frequently transmitted language to the current generation of children.Regarding the language experienced during childhood, Occitan was the most widely spoken language, with over 1 million adults hearing it occasionally and approximately 600,000 hearing it habitually. Alsatian matched Occitan in habitual usage at around 600,000 adults, but had a much lower occasional usage of nearly 240,000. Breton was spoken habitually to about 260,000 individuals and occasionally to 400,000. In contrast, Creole and Corsican were the least common, with both categories remaining well below 150,000 adults in both habitual and occasional contexts.Turning to the current generation, there is a sharp drop in the transmission of all regional languages to children. Alsatian witnessed the most moderate decrease and is now the top regional language spoken to children, at 400,000. Conversely, Occitan saw a massive decline, plummeting to just 250,000. The figures for Breton fell steeply to just under 100,000, while Creole and Corsican remained the least spoken languages, standing at roughly 80,000 and 60,000 respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a comprehensive description of the two charts. The response effectively highlights key features and makes appropriate comparisons between the generations and the different regional languages. For instance, the student correctly points out that Occitan was the most dominant language in childhood, while Alsatian is now the most frequently transmitted language. The figures cited, such as 'over 1 million adults hearing it occasionally' for Occitan and '400,000' for Alsatian in the second chart, align accurately with the provided visual data. The overview at the beginning of the second paragraph captures the main global trend successfully, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 8 level in Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5
The writing is logically organized and easy to follow. The student uses a clear introductory paragraph, a well-placed overview, and logical body paragraphs that separate the two charts effectively. Cohesive devices are used naturally to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Furthermore', 'Regarding the language', 'In contrast', and 'Turning to the current generation'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the visual data. The progression of ideas is smooth throughout, demonstrating strong skills in coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.5
The student demonstrates a wide and flexible vocabulary range suited for an academic report. Words and phrases like 'manifest', 'significant decline', 'dominant', 'habitually', 'transmitted', 'plummeting', and 'respectively' are used accurately and with good stylistic awareness. There is skilful use of less common lexical items related to language use and trends (e.g., 'habitual usage', 'occasional usage', 'transmission'). Minor inaccuracies are virtually absent, and the vocabulary choice contributes significantly to the overall precision and fluency of the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5
A wide variety of complex grammatical structures is used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free. The student successfully employs complex structures such as subordinate clauses ('while Occitan was the most dominant language experienced by the adults in their childhood, Alsatian has emerged as...'), participial phrases ('with over 1 million adults hearing it occasionally'), and contrasting clauses. Punctuation is accurate, and control over tense and agreement is consistent throughout the entire essay, fully justifying a Band 8 score for this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.