Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

The given table illustrates the variation in several types of household in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

Overall, the trend of individuals living alone, living as single parent and couples living without any children has increased while the percentage of dependent children has decreased. The number of non-dependent chilren has also fallen.

Throughout the time period, the types of houshold where individuals live on their own have become twice their percentage (from 6% in 1971 to 12% in 2007) with gradual increase before reaching 12% in 2001 and remaining unchanged till 2007.

The percentage of couples with no children has also risen from 19% in 1971 to 25% in 2001 and 2007. On the other hand, the percentage of children living with their parents has fallen from 52% in 1971, which is the highest proportion of dependent children household throughout the table; to 36% in 2007.

The independent children showed an overall decrease from 10% in 1971 to 9% in 2007 with a fluctuation in 1991 when it rose to 11% before falling down to 9% in 2001. Furthermore, the proportion of lone parents has increased three times more than its percentage in 1971 which was only 4%. It went to 10% in 1991 and reached 12% in 2001 and remained same for next 6 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main overall pattern accurately: the shares for people living alone, childless couples and lone-parent households rise, while households with dependent children decline. The response also supports these trends with relevant figures, including the fall from 52% to 36% and the rise in lone-parent households from 4% to 12%. The overview is clear, and the main categories are covered. However, the description of non-dependent children is slightly over-generalised: the figure ends at 9%, the same as in 2001, but it fluctuates and briefly reaches 11% in 1991. Also, “children living with their parents” is less precise than identifying the dependent-children category. More exact category labels and a concise comparison of the largest and smallest shares would make the reporting more consistently precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear progression from an introduction and overview to paragraphs describing the individual categories. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between trends, and the figures are generally placed where they support the relevant point. This gives the report a coherent overall arrangement. Some connections are less smooth, however: the final paragraph moves from non-dependent children to lone parents without a clear transition, and “The independent children” is not an immediately clear reference to the earlier category. The repeated sentence pattern of stating a percentage change also makes parts of the report feel list-like. Grouping related increases together and using clearer references would make the progression more flexible and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing data, including “variation,” “proportion,” “gradual increase,” “fluctuation,” and “remained unchanged.” These choices allow you to report trends and comparisons clearly, and the meaning is generally easy to follow. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise, though. “Independent children” does not accurately name the table’s “non-dependent children” category, while “the types of household where individuals live on their own” is unnecessarily wordy. There are also spelling errors in “chilren” and “houshold,” and “fallen down” is less appropriate for formal data description than “fallen” or “declined.” More consistent use of the table’s labels and accurate collocations would improve precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including a subordinate clause in “which is the highest proportion…” and time clauses such as “before reaching 12%.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends, and the range is adequate for a report of this kind. Some grammatical errors remain. In “has increased three times more than its percentage,” the comparison is not formed correctly; a clearer structure would be “has tripled, from 4% to 12%.” The phrase “remained same” needs an article (“remained the same”), and the long sentence about dependent children would be clearer with a full stop rather than a semicolon before “to 36%.” More careful control of comparison structures, articles and punctuation would strengthen accuracy.

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