Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-08

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 table illustrated the parsantages of people living in different types ofhouseholds in great britain between 1971 to 2007.

overall the percentage of individuals living with dependent children decreased considerablly,while the figures for one person households and lone parent families increased. couples without children also became more common during this period.

in 1971, household with couples and dependentchildren accounted for the largest proportion children accounted for the largest proportain , at 52%. however, this figure declined steadily to 47% in 1981, 41%in 1991, 39%in 2001, the finally 36%in 2007. in contrast the percentage of couple with no children rose from 1971 to 25%in 2001, anIT REMAINDED 25%in 2007.

The proportio of one person households increased fro. 6% to12% betwden 1971 and 2001 and then remaind unchanged in 2007.

The proportion of one person households increasecfromin cresed from 6% to 12% between 1971 to 1w% in 2001 and 2oo7.meanwhie, houseds with non dependen children changed only slightly increasing from 10% in 1971to 11% in 1991, beforefalling to 9% in 2001 and 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall pattern: the share of households with dependent children fell, while one-person and lone-parent households became more common. You also report several accurate figures, including the decline from 52% to 36% and the rise in childless couples to 25%. However, coverage is incomplete and some reporting is unclear. The childless-couple increase is not given a clear starting value, and the lone-parent trend appears only in the overview, without supporting figures. The paragraph on one-person households is duplicated, and the second version contains corrupted data, making the account less reliable. To strengthen the response, select each key category once, give its main start and end values, and ensure every comparison is clearly stated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some useful organisation: an overview is followed by paragraphs describing household categories, and linking expressions such as “in contrast” and “meanwhile” signal comparisons. However, progression is weakened by the repeated one-person-household information and by the final paragraph combining that category with non-dependent children. The sentence about dependent children also repeats the phrase “largest proportion” and is difficult to follow. Some connectors are used mechanically or without clear punctuation, as in “however” and “in contrast.” Plan one paragraph for the overview and then group related trends, avoiding repetition and keeping each category’s figures together. Clearer sentence boundaries and more precise referencing would make the sequence easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “declined steadily,” “increased,” and “remained unchanged,” so the main trends can often be understood. However, spelling and word-form errors are frequent and sometimes obscure meaning: “parsantages,” “considerablly,” “proportain,” and “meanwhie” are examples. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “household with couples and dependent children,” which does not clearly name the table category. Repetition of “proportion” and “increased” limits the range. Check spelling carefully and use the table’s category labels consistently; a small set of accurate alternatives such as “share,” “accounted for,” and “rose” would improve precision without forcing complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast structure beginning “while” and a sequence describing changes across several years. However, control is inconsistent, and faulty sentence construction often makes the data difficult to interpret. For example, “in 1971, household with couples and dependent children accounted for the largest proportion children accounted for the largest proportain” contains a repeated clause and lacks a clear grammatical structure. The sentence about childless couples also shifts into “anIT REMAINDED,” disrupting the verb phrase. Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries need attention. Practise writing one complete sentence per trend, using consistent past-tense verbs and checking that each clause has a clear subject and verb.

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.