Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-12

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

PEOPLE IN HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The table graph presentation elucidates information about the development in few household types in Great Britain in 1971 and 2007. At the first glance, it can be promptly noticed that there was overall increment in lone parent household in Great Britain.

From the given statistic, it is apparent that the one-person household in Great Britain initialized at 6% in 1971. This figure elevated at 12% in 2007. Whereas, Couple in household in Great Britain diminished at 19% in 1971, after hiking at 25% in 2007. While , Dependent children in household in great Britain surged at 52% in 1971 , followed by deterioration at 36% in 2007 .

Contrarily , Nondependent children in household in Great Britain experienced growth at 10% in 1971 , after which it saw collapse at 9% in 2007 . However , Lone parent in household in Great Britain swelled at 12 % in 2007 , after plunged at 4% in 1971 .

The major conclusion that can be drawn using the graph is that highest people in household was dependent children and lowest people in household was lone parent.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. You covered all household types mentioned in the table and made relevant comparisons. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For example, you stated that 'Couple in household... diminished at 19% in 1971, after hiking at 25% in 2007', which misinterprets the direction of the trend. Additionally, the final summary sentence is slightly confusing as it compares static percentages across two different years rather than focusing on the overall trends. To improve, ensure that your data points are accurately transcribed and that your comparisons clearly distinguish between the start and end points of the period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Whereas', 'While', 'Contrarily', and 'However'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as the frequent repetition of 'in Great Britain' in every sentence, which makes the flow repetitive. Furthermore, the punctuation around these connectors is inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas (e.g., 'While ,'). Improving the variety of your linking phrases and ensuring correct punctuation would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'increment', 'elevated', 'diminished', 'surged', and 'swelled'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'initialized at 6%' is not standard usage for data description; 'stood at' or 'started at' would be more appropriate. Similarly, 'saw collapse' and 'after plunged' are grammatically incorrect and unnatural. You rely heavily on repetitive phrasing, which limits the sophistication of your response. Expanding your repertoire of trend-describing verbs and nouns will help you achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'diminished at 19%' instead of 'to 19%'), tense confusion, and awkward phrasing such as 'after plunged at 4%'. There are also consistent errors with article usage and sentence structure, such as 'the highest people in household was'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of your report. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct prepositional phrases for data reporting is essential.

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

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