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 presents the percentages of the change in multiple household types in Great Britian between 1971 and 2007.

Overall, one-family households ( with dependent children) had the highest percentage in the given period. The couples with no children household remained realitively steady. Meanwhile, the households with dependent children as well as non-dependent children declined overtime.

In 1971, dependent children households had the highest percentage among all other types of households, at 52%. It declined over the years followed after and fell to 36% in 2007. Meanwhile, the one person households started with a realitively low number, just 6%, and it rose up to 12% in 2007.

However, the other one-family households remained realitively steady overtime, fluctuating around the same number. In 1971, lone parent housholds had a very less percentage, at 4%, but it rose in 1981, from 6% to 10% dramatically. It kept rising afterward to 12% in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern accurately: households with dependent children were the largest category and fell from 52% to 36%, while one-person households rose from 6% to 12%. You also note the increase in lone-parent households. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: non-dependent-child households did not decline steadily, as they stayed at 10% before reaching 11% in 1991, then fell to 9%. The claim that couples with no children remained “relatively steady” also overlooks their rise from 19% to 25%, where they then levelled off. Several categories are grouped vaguely as “other” rather than compared with their actual figures. Select the key trends more precisely and support each with accurate start and end values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the figures. Sequencing is generally understandable, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile” and “However” help signal relationships. However, progression is weakened by repetition and unclear references. For example, “the other one-family households” does not specify which categories are being discussed, and “It declined over the years followed after” is difficult to follow. The final paragraph also says the categories fluctuated around the same number, although the lone-parent figures rose substantially. Organise the body around clear comparisons—for example, rising categories versus falling categories—and use precise category names and linking phrases that accurately express the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing tables, including “percentages,” “declined,” “rose” and “fluctuating,” so the main trends are usually understandable. There is some repetition of “relatively steady” and “households,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “a very less percentage,” “rose in 1981, from 6% to 10%” and “the percentages of the change.” Spelling errors in “Britian,” “realitively” and “housholds” also reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, conventional data-reporting language and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “accounted for,” “increased,” “fell” and “remained stable” would help you describe the figures without awkward phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Meanwhile” and a time clause in “In 1971, …”. Most sentences communicate the intended trend, and grammatical errors rarely prevent understanding. Some constructions are nevertheless awkward or incomplete: “The table presents the percentages of the change” has an unclear grammatical relationship, while “It declined over the years followed after” uses an incorrect structure. In “the households with dependent children as well as non-dependent children declined,” the plural subject also makes the comparison unclear. Practise forming direct comparisons with accurate subjects and verbs, and check articles, prepositions and punctuation around parenthetical phrases, as in “one-family households (with dependent children).”

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