Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-08

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

Number of adults (in thousands) whose parents spoke a regional language to them in childhood

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The charts illustrate the amount of French adults who were being spoke a French language by their parents during their childhood and those who actually spoke these regional languages to their own kids.

Overall, Occitan was fond the highest for being spoken both habitually and occasionally by parents to their children, whereas Corsican was the lowest to be used. In contrast, Alsatian was found to be the leading language that adults used to speak to their own children, while Corsican remained the least common here as well.

Regarding those who were spoke French language by their parents, Occitan accounted for the largest share, at almost 1 million people who occasionally spoke French, followed by Alsatian as well Occitan that were found to be the second common regional language, at about 600 thousands of people spoke them. Other regional language such as Breton, Creole, and Corsican made up the lowest share, making nearly 400 thousand people being spoke.

In terms of adults who actually speak these linguistics to their own kids, Alsatian accounted for the highest share here as well, speaking by 400 thousand people. Occitan accounts for nearly 250 people, whereas Breton, Creole, and Corsican together makes the share of nearly 300 people.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast: Occitan is prominent in the parental figures, while Alsatian leads among adults speaking to their children, and Corsican is lowest in both. However, several details are inaccurate or unclear. Occitan’s occasional figure is about 1,065 thousand, not simply “almost 1 million”; Alsatian is about 600 thousand habitually and 240 thousand occasionally, so it is not a second-place category alongside Occitan in the way stated. The grouping of Breton, Creole and Corsican as “nearly 400 thousand” is also misleading because their figures differ by language and by speaking frequency. Finally, the last comparison says “300 people” rather than 300 thousand. Select and report the key figures more precisely, and distinguish habitual from occasional speech.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two chart topics. This gives the report a generally coherent arrangement, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In terms of” help signal shifts. However, progression within the data paragraphs is less clear because several languages are grouped together without explaining their individual values. The phrase “followed by Alsatian as well Occitan” is especially confusing, and “here as well” does not clearly identify which comparison it refers to. Use a consistent order—such as ranking the languages—and make references explicit. Linking words are present, but some connections feel mechanical or do not accurately express the relationship between the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “largest share,” “habitually,” and “occasionally,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive. “Amount of French adults” is not a natural way to describe people, while “linguistics” does not mean regional languages in this context. Phrases such as “was fond the highest,” “the lowest to be used,” and “made up the lowest share” also obscure the intended meaning. Use precise chart-reporting language and avoid calling the figures “shares” when they are counts. More accurate terms such as “number,” “figure,” “spoke,” and “passed on” would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including a contrast in the overview and longer sentences comparing several languages. However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “who were being spoke,” “people spoke them,” and “speaking by 400 thousand people,” where verb forms or sentence construction are faulty. There are also agreement and tense problems, as in “together makes,” and the sentence beginning “Occitan accounts” shifts tense from the surrounding past-tense description. Some sentences are understandable, but the repeated errors limit accuracy. Practise forming clear past-tense clauses and checking subject–verb agreement; shorter, well-controlled comparisons would help before adding more complex structures.

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

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