Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-05

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 tabular column compares the variations take place in the seven different household types in Great Britain over a period of 36 years.

In 1971 the household types like one person and alone parent were 6% and 4 % respectively. A similar pattern was followed in 1981 and 1991. It was seen that in 2001 and 2007 the percentage remained the same as 12%. However the percentage showed a significant increase in case of non-dependent children and no children house hold type. The first household exhibits 10 % whereas the latter one was 19%. After 10 years the percentage plateaued and the no children household climbs to double of the first one. Surprisingly the trend was continued even after a decade. It was notable that the the percentage reduced to 9% for non-dependent and grew to 25% for no children, then remained the same for the next 16 years. Nevertheless, there was a remarkable development exhibited by dependent children household compared to all other household throughout the period which were 52% in 1971, 47% in 1981, 41 % in 1991, 39% in 2001 and finally 36% in 2007.

to sum up, Dependent children household was the one which showed a consistent growth in percentage all over the 36 years, whereas lone parent household was the least among the households

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the data, but there are significant inaccuracies in the interpretation of the figures. For example, you state that dependent children households were 52% in 1971 and 36% in 2007, which is correct, but your description of the 'no children' category is confusing and mathematically inconsistent with the provided data. Furthermore, you mention 'seven different household types' but only discuss a few, failing to provide a comprehensive overview. The summary at the end contains a factual error, as you claim dependent children households showed 'consistent growth,' when the data clearly shows a steady decline from 52% to 36%.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression within the second paragraph is weak. The use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'The first household exhibits 10% whereas the latter one was 19%,' which lacks clear referencing to the specific categories mentioned earlier. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the lack of clear signposting makes it difficult to follow the comparison of trends over the 36-year period.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You use some repetitive phrasing, such as 'percentage' and 'household type.' There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'tabular column' (which is redundant) and 'variations take place' (which is awkward). While you attempt to use some descriptive verbs like 'plateaued' and 'climbs,' the overall range is limited, and the misuse of terms like 'no children' instead of the specific category name hinders clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'the the percentage' (repetition), 'no children household climbs' (missing article), and 'the trend was continued' (incorrect passive voice). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around percentage signs (e.g., '41 %'). While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall flow and clarity of the writing.

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