Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given table illustrates the shift of familly adjustments in the Britain over the period between 1971 to 2007.

Data shows the percentage of different types of households ranging over the time of ten years. It's seen that proportion of people in one-family households with dependant and non-dependant children has been decreased over the years whereas all other household types shows a uniform incline in thier percentages.

First of all, among all the data, highest proportions are seen for one family households with no children, starting from 19 percentage in 1971 to showing uniform increase uptill 25 percentage in 2007. Houses with dependant children, on the other hand, starts its number with 52% in 1971, which goes down to 26 percent in 2007.

For remaining types of households, non dependant children houses were at 10 percent from 1971 to 1981. goes to 11 percent in 1991 and then to 9 percent till 2007. One person homes and lone parent homes, display almost similar stats starting from 6% in one person and 4% in lone parent in 1971 and both leads to 12% in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the significant decline in households with dependent children and the growth in one-person and lone-parent households. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; the statement that 'all other household types shows a uniform incline' is factually incorrect, as the 'non-dependent children' category fluctuates rather than showing a uniform increase. Furthermore, the data interpretation contains some errors, such as misreading the 'one-family households with no children' category. While the main trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the inaccurate summary of trends prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'First of all' is not ideal for a data summary, and the sentence structure in the final paragraph is fragmented, with phrases like 'goes to 11 percent' lacking a clear subject. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved to create a more logical progression of ideas. The paragraphing is present but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more refinement.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends such as 'decline' and 'increase'. However, there are several spelling errors ('familly', 'dependant', 'thier', 'uptill') and some awkward phrasing, such as 'shift of familly adjustments'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, the student should use more precise terminology for describing data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a sharp decrease', and ensure greater accuracy in spelling and word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('all other household types shows'), incorrect verb tenses ('starts its number'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the final paragraph where sentences are run-on or fragmented. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction is noticeable and prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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