Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-30

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 tabulation illustrates the change in several accommodation types in Great Britain between 1971 to 2007. Overall, it is evident that, from 1971 to 2007, Dependent children accounted the highest proportion throughout five decades while Lone parents followed the smallest figure.

During 1971, Dependent children represented the largest portion at 52% and has five to ten times more homes than No children, Non-dependent children, one person and lone parent estimated at 19%, 10%, 6% and 4%, respectively. In 1981, Dependent children with one-fuio family households outnumbered by 47% of houses, whereas No children, Non-dependent children, One person and lone parent deemed at 20%, 10%, 8% and 6%, correspondingly.

In the year 1991, Dependent children takes a huge lead with 41% of households, meanwhile no children, stood at 23%. In addition, Non-dependent and one person remained at same position of 11% while lone parent reckoned the smallest figure at 10%. By the year 2001, there was a decreased trend in number of dependent children at 39% although no children, Non-dependent children, one person and lone parent stayed at 25%, 9%, 12% and 12%, respectively. In 2007, Dependent children made up at 36% whereas lone parent and one person remained unchange at 12%. Moreover, No-children attained at 25% and Non-dependent children followed the modest figure fraction at 9%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and selecting key features from the table. The main trends, such as the decline in dependent children and the rise in one-person and lone-parent households, are correctly identified. For example, the student notes that dependent children accounted for the highest proportion at 52% in 1971 before dropping to 36% in 2007. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific details, such as referring to household types as 'accommodation types' and slight misstatements of data (e.g., 'five to ten times more homes'). Nevertheless, the response successfully fulfills the requirements of Task 1 by making relevant comparisons across the given time period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by chronological body paragraphs detailing the data from 1971 to 2007. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'During 1971', 'In the year 1991', and 'By the year 2001' are used to sequence information. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression within sentences feels slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is adequate, but the overall flow is hindered by repetitive sentence structures and occasional awkward transitions between years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'tabulation', 'proportion', and 'outnumbered'. However, there are notable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices throughout the text, such as using 'accommodation types' instead of 'household types', and awkward phrasing like 'one-fuio family households' and 'deemed at'. Spelling and word-choice errors occur but do not completely impede communication, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and introductory time phrases. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and tense inconsistencies, such as 'Dependent children accounted the highest proportion' (missing preposition), 'Dependent children takes a huge lead' (subject-verb agreement), and 'remained unchange' (incorrect form). While these errors do not severely impede understanding, they demonstrate a lack of consistent grammatical control across complex structures.

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