Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-01

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 5.5)

The given pictures shows the comparison of the number of french adults whose parents spoke a French regional language to them when they were children habitually and occasionally and the number who speak a French regional language to their own children. The comparison is given in the form of bar char charts.

To start with, the language which is spoken to them in their childhood the most, both habitually above 600 thousand adults and occasionally around 1million adults. Alistian was the second in line that was spoken habitually, around 600 thousand adults whereas breton was the second most common language that was spoken occasionally that was around 400 thousands adult In both cases ,habitually and occasionally the Corsican language was the least spoken by their parents.

However, the language which was the most commonly spoken by the adults to their own children was Alistian, which was around 400 thousand people.Occitan language follows the alistian language in popularity.Similarly to the above graph , Corsican is the least popular among people that is below 100 thousand people who speak this language.breton and cerole language are similar in number of people who speak these language.

In conclusion , the language which was mostly spoken by the parents to the adults was Occitan and the by the adults to their own children is Alistian. Corsican language is least spoken in both the cases.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially, presenting some key features such as mentioning the most and least popular languages, but containing noticeable inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the text states that Occitan was spoken habitually by 'above 600 thousand adults and occasionally around 1million adults', which is generally accurate according to the chart, but other comparisons and figures are confused or lack precise references. Furthermore, the selection of data is sometimes vague, and the overview at the end attempts to summarise main trends but misses a fully clear picture of the overall differences between childhood and adult transmission. To improve, you should ensure that key figures are read accurately from the visual data and that comparisons between categories are clearly highlighted in a well-developed overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation to the response, with paragraphs dedicated to the introduction, body details, and a conclusion. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression, and the logical flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices, such as 'To start with' and 'Similarly to the above graph'. Referencing is also sometimes unclear, as seen in the phrase 'spoken to them in their childhood', where the pronoun reference is ambiguous. Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping ideas could be managed more effectively to separate habitual versus occasional speech and the comparison with transmission to children. To reach a higher level, ensure that information is sequenced more logically and that cohesive devices are used to guide the reader smoothly through distinct trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but the range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word forms. For example, 'Alistian' is misspelled multiple times instead of Alsatian, and 'cerole' is used instead of Creole. Additionally, expressions like 'the language which was spoken to them in their childhood the most' are rather basic and repetitive. While meaning is generally communicated despite these slips, the lack of precise control over less common vocabulary prevents the response from achieving a higher band. To improve, you need to expand your control of specific terminology relevant to data reports and carefully check your spelling of key proper nouns provided in the prompt.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('the language which was spoken...'), but these attempts are often marred by frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and missing articles, as seen in 'The given pictures shows' and 'breton and cerole language are similar in number of people'. Punctuation is also weak, with run-on phrasing and missing capitals for proper nouns like 'french', 'alistian', and 'breton'. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the grammatical rating. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, using correct capitalization, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing prepositions or verbs.

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

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