Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-13

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 7.0)

The table illustrates the percentage distribution of people living in different household and family types in Great Britain, spanning from 1971 to 2007.

Overall, a noticeable trend is that households comprising couples with dependent children declined steadily throughout the period. In contrast, the percentage of one-person households, couples without children, and lone-parent families increased, indicating a significant change in family structure over the 36-year period.

In 1971, couples with dependent children accounted for the largest proportion of households, at 52%. However, this figure fell consistently, reaching 47% in 1981, 41% in 1991, 39% in 2001, and finally 36% in 2007. In contrast, couples with no children experienced a gradual increase in the percentage, from 19% in 1971 to 20% in 1981 and 23% in 1991, before reaching 25% in 2001 and remaining the same after that. Meanwhile, the proportion of couples with non-dependent children witnessed slight fluctuations between 9% and 11%.

Similarly, the percentage of one-person households

doubled from 6% in 1971 to 12% in 2001, which remained unchanged in 2007. Likewise, the proportion of lone-parent households figure surged from 6% in 1971 to 10% in 1991, before reaching 12% in both years, 2001 and 2007

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and selecting and reporting the main features of the table. For example, the student accurately highlights that couples with dependent children experienced a steady decline from 52% in 1971 to 36% in 2007, while accurately contrasting this with the upward trends in one-person and lone-parent households. Key data points are well selected to support the comparisons, and the information is accurately presented without any major omissions or misinterpretations of the source material. The overview effectively captures the primary long-term demographic shift, fulfilling the requirements for Task 1 at a high level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Information and ideas are logically sequenced with a clear overall progression throughout the response. The essay is appropriately divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview paragraph, a detailed body paragraph on couples, and a final body paragraph addressing single-person and lone-parent households. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Similarly', and 'before reaching' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Referencing and substitution are well managed, though there is a minor mechanical phrasing error in the final sentence ('the proportion of lone-parent households figure surged'), which slightly disrupts the fluency of the cohesive link.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally flexible range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data and demographic trends. Words and phrases such as 'percentage distribution', 'steadily declined', 'gradual increase', and 'surged' show a good command of vocabulary related to graphs and tables. There is an attempt to use less common phrasing, though occasional minor lexical awkwardnesses occur, such as the redundant phrasing 'the proportion of lone-parent households figure'. Spelling and word choices are otherwise accurate and do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the detailed trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response displays a good variety of complex sentence structures, including participial phrases and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'households comprising couples with dependent children declined steadily throughout the period' and 'while the proportion of couples with non-dependent children witnessed slight fluctuations'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and control over grammar and punctuation is generally strong. However, there is a minor grammatical slip in the final sentence where 'households figure' is used instead of 'households' or 'household figure', and a slight dangling or incomplete clause at the very end of the text ('in both years, 2001 and 2007'). These minor errors do not impede communication.

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