Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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

PEOPLE IN HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The given data demonstrates the fluctuation in household kinds in Great Britain from the time period of 1971 to 2007.

Overall, the category of dependent children dominates over all, whereas, no children and lone parents group showed gradual increase. couple were almost 0%.

Commencing from one family households, dependent children shared the higher proportion over the period in 1971 it was 52% follows by 47% in 1981, 41% in 1991, 39% in 2001 and 36% in 2007. Subsequently, no children comprised for 19% in 1971, it considerably rose 20% in 1981, 23% in 1991 and 25% in 2001 and 2007. Additionally, non dependent was 10% in both 1971 and 1981, whereas it fluctuated the rest of period and 11% 1991, 9% was in 2001 and 2007.

Furthermore, the parents who lived without children comprised 4% in 1971, 6% in 1981, 10% in 1991, 12% till end. In contrast, one person household was owned 6% in 1971, 8% in 1981, 11 % 1991 and peaked at 12%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main decline in households with dependent children, reporting the fall from 52% to 36%, and include several relevant figures for the other categories. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: “couple were almost 0%” is not supported by the table, which gives separate figures for couples with and without children, and the no-children and lone-parent groups do not both show a steady rise throughout. The response also omits the important overall increase in one-person households and does not clearly distinguish the household subcategories. To strengthen the report, give a precise overview of the largest changes and highest/lowest categories, then compare the trends accurately rather than listing figures alone.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, an overview, and paragraphs describing household categories. Sequencing figures by year generally helps the reader follow the data. However, progression is weakened by unclear links and awkward transitions, such as “Commencing from one family households” and “Additionally,” where the relationship between categories is not made clear. The overview also introduces a claim about couples that does not connect coherently to the table’s categories. Some sentences combine several figures without clear punctuation, making comparisons harder to track. Group the declining dependent-children figures together, then compare the rising categories, and use straightforward linking phrases to show contrast or similarity.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “comprised,” “fluctuated,” and “peaked,” and the reader can usually identify the categories being discussed. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. For example, “couple were almost 0%” misrepresents the data, while “one person household was owned 6%” uses an unsuitable verb. Phrases such as “shared the higher proportion” and “rose 20%” are also imprecise for describing percentages. Use standard chart-reporting language consistently, such as “accounted for,” “stood at,” “increased to,” and “declined to,” while naming each household type accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the year-by-year sequence is often understandable. However, complex sentences are frequently faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, tense, and sentence boundaries sometimes make the data difficult to interpret. Examples include “couple were,” “it considerably rose 20%,” and the run-on construction “no children comprised for 19% in 1971, it considerably rose…”. The final sentence, “one person household was owned 6%,” also has an incorrect passive structure. Practise forming clear comparison sentences with a subject and accurate verb—for example, “The proportion of one-person households rose from 6% to 12%”—and separate complete clauses with appropriate punctuation.

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