Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-07

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 5.5)

The table presents the statistics of different types of household in Great Britain between the period of 1971 to 2007 in percentage.

Overall, the percentages of one person, couple with no children and lone parent household increased over the period, but stabilized by 2001. On the other hand, the proportions of couple with dependent and non-dependent children decreased, except some exception in the trend.

There were only 6% of single person household back in 1971, which got doubled in 2001 and remained the same for the next period of time. There are two types of one-family households. The first type is couple and the latter one is lone parent. The couple with no children households increased from 19% in 1971 to 25% in 2001. This figure remained the same in 2007 also. Households with dependent children dropped substantially throughout the period, starting at 52% in 1971 and ended at 36% in 2007. Only the percentage of residents with non-dependent children fluctuated. In 1971, there were only 10 percent of them, which peaked in 1991 with 11% followed by a decrease in 2001 and reach 9%, which remained the same in 2007 also. The percentage of residences of lone parent got tripled during this period. This figure was 4% in 1971, reached 12% in 2001 and remained the same afterwards.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all categories (one-person, couples, and lone parents) and made relevant comparisons, such as noting the significant drop in households with dependent children. The data is accurately reported, and the key features are highlighted well. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview is more distinct from the body paragraphs and try to group the data more analytically rather than listing figures chronologically for each category. Overall, you have addressed the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'The first type', and 'followed by' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by grouping the trends more thematically (e.g., those that increased vs. those that decreased) rather than just listing them. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be linked more fluidly to improve the overall flow of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'stabilized', 'fluctuated', and 'substantially'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'residences of lone parent' (should be 'households') and 'except some exception' (which is redundant). While you successfully convey the meaning, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive in its structure. Incorporating more varied synonyms for 'increased' or 'decreased' and using more precise collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'between the period of 1971 to 2007 in percentage' (should be 'as a percentage') and 'reached 9%, which remained the same in 2007 also' (the 'also' is redundant). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are generally accurate, but there is a lack of more sophisticated complex structures. Focusing on reducing these minor errors and varying your sentence patterns will improve your accuracy and range.

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.