Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-13

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 graphs illustrates how many people in France whose parents spoke French regional language to their children and how how many of those kids when they become adults passed these languages to there kids.

overall, Alsatian and Occitan are most widely spoken languages among both generation, and Creole and Corsican are the least popular.

Initially, the number of adults whose parents spoke reginal language to them in childhood, Occitan was most popular in practice either habitually (just over [redacted phone] people) or occasionally (around 0.9 million), where over and above only [redacted phone] people spoke Creole and Corsican, almost [redacted phone] people spoke Breton habitually and [redacted phone] occasionally conversely Alsatian is more common habitually and around only [redacted phone] people spoke occasionally.

Alsatian is most popular regional language that is passed down by these children who now become adults to their own kids which is [redacted phone] following by Occitan which is close to [redacted phone], but Creole and Corsican are still the least spoken language around 80000 and 60000 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The report identifies the broad pattern that Alsatian and Occitan feature prominently, while Creole and Corsican are among the least common, and it covers both charts. However, some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear: Occitan, not Alsatian, has the highest occasional figure (about 1.065 million), whereas Alsatian is highest for speaking to children (400,000). The statement that only 200,000 people spoke Creole and Corsican also obscures their separate, much smaller figures. Breton is mentioned, but its figures are not clearly compared across the charts. To strengthen the report, give a concise overview of the main contrasts and report the key values accurately for each category.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the two charts. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the first data paragraph is difficult to follow: several languages and figures are joined in one long sentence, and the contrast signalled by “conversely” is not clearly expressed. Linking phrases such as “following by” are also used inaccurately, while the final paragraph does not clearly connect the child-to-parent comparison with the earlier figures. Separate the data into shorter, logically grouped comparisons—for example, the two largest languages and then the smaller ones—and use clear references to each chart.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “habitually,” “occasionally,” “passed down” and “least popular,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “most popular in practice,” “more common habitually” and “following by.” Repetition of “popular” and “spoken” also makes the description less precise. Spelling errors such as “reginal” and “there” further reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting language, including “the highest figure,” “was spoken occasionally,” and “was followed by,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use complex structures, particularly in the opening sentence and in the comparisons, but control is inconsistent. The opening, “The graphs illustrates how many people in France whose parents spoke…,” has problems with subject–verb agreement and sentence construction; “how how many” is also repeated. Other examples include “Alsatian and Occitan are most widely spoken languages” and “which is 400000 following by Occitan,” where articles, agreement and clause structure are not controlled. Long sentences in the first data paragraph compound these problems and make relationships between figures harder to follow. Use shorter, complete sentences and check agreement, articles and punctuation before adding more complex clauses.

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