Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-07-24

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below shows the change in some household types in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

PEOPLE IN HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY

Student answer (Band 8.0)

The table illustrates the percentage of people living in different household and family types in the Great Britain between 1971 and 2007.

Overall, couples with dependent children remained the most common household type throughout the period, although their proportion declined.In contrast, one person households, childless couples, and lone-parent families all became more common over time.

In 1971, 52% of people lived in households consisting of couples with dependent children which makes it overall largest. However, this figure fell steadily to 47% in 1981, 41% in 1991, 39% in 2001, and finally 36% in 2007. Couples without children increased gradually from 19% in 1971 to 25% in both 2001 and 2007.

The proportion of people living alone doubled over the period, rising from 6% in 1971 to 12% in 2001 and remained unchanged in the year 2007. The percentage of lone-parent households experienced significant growth, increasing from just 4% in 1971 to 12% by 2001 and till 2007. Households consisting of couples with non-dependent children showed only slight fluctuations, remaining relatively stable at around 9–11% throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You selected relevant figures to support your points, such as the steady decline of couples with dependent children and the growth of lone-parent households. The comparison between categories is well-handled. To reach a higher band, ensure that you avoid minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, you mentioned that lone-parent households remained at 12% 'till 2007', but the data shows a slight increase to 13% in 2007. Precision is key in Task 1. Overall, you have covered all parts of the task well and provided a clear, logical summary of the provided table.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information effectively. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'However', and 'Overall' to guide the reader through the data. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the most significant trend to secondary observations. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different household types. To improve further, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, when discussing the 2007 figures, ensure the link between the data and your description is perfectly accurate to maintain the flow of information without ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'remained the most common', 'experienced significant growth', and 'slight fluctuations' are used effectively. There is a good attempt to use varied terminology to describe trends. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to describe the data, such as 'a downward trajectory' instead of 'fell steadily' or 'a marginal increase' instead of 'slight fluctuations'. Your spelling is accurate throughout, and your word choice is generally precise enough to communicate the trends without difficulty.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation is good. There are occasional minor slips, such as 'in the Great Britain' (should be 'in Great Britain') and 'which makes it overall largest' (which should be 'which made it the largest overall'). Despite these minor issues, your grammar is strong and does not impede communication. To move to a higher band, focus on increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring that articles and word order are consistently accurate.

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