Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-01

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 6.5)

This chart shows how British households have evolved over decades, in terms of what constitutes a family and what does not.

The data shows the changing trends in family types between 1971 and 2007 in Great Britain, per 100 households. Here, we see that single person and single parent famililes made up a very small chunk of the society. A set of parents living with dependent children consisted of more than half of the total household numbers, 52% of all surveyed in 1971. 19% couples had no children, whereas only 10% couples had non-dependent children.

Over the next 2 decades we see a shift in the trend, with couples with dependent children decreasing and more couples deciding not to add a child to their family. 19% increased to 23% by 1991. On the other hand, only 41% couples now had dependent children.

Over the next 15 years, this trend continues, with only 36% of households with 2 parents and dependent children. Single parent and single person households make up 12% of the total by 2007, each.

Overall we see a trend of more and more couples choosing not to have children and keep a nuclear and small family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the given years. The overall trend is correctly identified, noting the decline in couple households with dependent children and the rise in single-person and lone-parent households. However, certain aspects are under-developed or imprecise; for instance, the writer claims the data is 'per 100 households' when it is actually given in percentages representing people in households. Furthermore, some data points lack sufficient depth or context to push the response into a higher tier. Overall, the information presented is largely accurate and relevant to the source table, meeting the criteria for a solid mid-level score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing that guides the reader chronologically through the data. Information is logically sequenced from 1971 through the subsequent decades to the final year of 2007. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Over the next 2 decades' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing is occasionally mechanical or slightly unclear, and the transitional links between paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a fully fluent progression. It meets the requirements of the lower level while showing glimpses of better organisational control.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'evolved', 'constitutes', and 'deciding not to add a child'. There are, however, some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation—such as 'famililes' (spelling error) and describing a percentage figure as a 'chunk of the society'—though these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main trends clearly, but lacks the precision, flexibility, and sophisticated control required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over standard structures such as subordinate clauses ('with couples with dependent children decreasing'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including subject-verb agreement slips and awkward phrasing ('19% increased to 23%'), but these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout. The variety of sentence structures is adequate, blending simple descriptive statements with more complex temporal clauses.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.