Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-11

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 table chart illustrates the percentages of different types of household in Great Britain between 1971 to 2007.

Overall, one-person and Lone-parent household types increased steadily and reamain constant at the end years meanwhile percentage of dependent children and non-dependent children consistently falling and no-children gradually rising, remain constant at end years.

in 1971, couples with dependent children accounted for the largest proportion of households at 52%. However, this figure steadily decresed over following decades reaching 36% in 2007. In contrast, the percentages of of people living in households comprising couples without children rose from 19% in 1971 to 25% in 2001 where it remained until the end of the period.

Meanwhile,

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant trends and report key figures accurately: dependent-child households fell from 52% to 36%, while couples without children rose from 19% to 25% and then levelled off. However, the response is incomplete: it stops after “Meanwhile,” and does not report the figures or trends for one-person, lone-parent, or non-dependent-child households, despite mentioning some of these in the overview. The overview also says the latter category was “consistently falling,” although it rose slightly to 11% in 1991 before declining. The response is 112 words, below the required 150, which contributes to the limited coverage and underdevelopment. Include a complete overview and select figures for all major categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic structure, with an opening statement, an overview, and a paragraph giving details about two household categories. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships between ideas. Nevertheless, progression is incomplete: the final paragraph ends abruptly with “Meanwhile,” leaving the reader without the promised comparison or a conclusion to the data description. The overview combines several trends in one long sentence, making the relationships difficult to follow, and “meanwhile” does not clearly connect the categories. Organise the response into a concise overview followed by complete, logically grouped detail paragraphs, and ensure every transition leads into a finished point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some appropriate task vocabulary, including “accounted for the largest proportion,” “steadily decreased,” and “remained,” and the meaning of the main comparisons is generally clear. There is some variety in how trends are described, but control is uneven: “table chart” is redundant, “household types” is repeated, and “percentage of people living in households comprising couples” is unnecessarily cumbersome. Spelling errors such as “reamain” and “decresed,” along with the repeated “of” in “percentages of of people,” reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, precise collocations such as “the proportion of households” and “households with dependent children,” and check spelling and repetition during proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex forms, including a contrast clause beginning “However” and a relative clause in “where it remained until the end of the period.” The main figures and comparisons remain understandable, but grammatical control is inconsistent. The opening uses the incorrect time construction “between 1971 to 2007”; use “between 1971 and 2007.” In the overview, “increased steadily and reamain constant” has an incorrect verb form and an unclear tense relationship, while “percentage … falling and no-children gradually rising, remain constant” lacks a well-formed parallel structure. There are also punctuation and capitalisation inconsistencies. Use complete sentences with consistent past-tense reporting and check that each clause has a clear subject and verb.

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