Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-24

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 demonstrate the percentage change in some household types in the Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

overall, dependent children showed a major decline, whereas lone parents and one person increased more than double. Non-dependent children remain the lowest.

In 1971 dependent children is at 52%, start declining from 47% to 39% in 1981 to 2001 and dropped to 36% in 2007, followed by non-dependant children remain same in 1971 and 1981 at 10% increased 1% in 1991 become 11%, then again fall in 2001 at 9% remain same in 2007.

Lone parents showed an increase from 4% to 6% then 10% in 1991 and plateaued at 12% in 2001 and 2007. Similarly, one person also increased from 6% to 11% in 1991 and remain same at 12% in 2001 and 2007. No children couple also showed an increase from 19% in 1971 to 23% in 1991 and levelled of at 25% in 2001 and 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: the share of households with dependent children fell, while one-person and lone-parent households rose. You also report several relevant figures accurately, including the 52% starting point for dependent children and the 12% endpoint for lone-parent households. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: dependent children fell from 47% in 1981 to 39% in 2001, but the sentence makes the sequence difficult to follow; one-person households reached 11% in 1991 and 12% in 2001, rather than increasing to 11% and then remaining at 12% without specifying the 2007 value. The overview also calls non-dependent children the lowest, although lone parents were lower in 1971. Make the overview more precise and present each series clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs. Grouping the declining categories together and the rising categories together is a sensible approach. However, progression within sentences is sometimes hard to follow, particularly in “start declining from 47% to 39% in 1981 to 2001,” where the years and values are not clearly matched. The repeated use of “then,” “followed by” and “similarly” also makes the linking feel mechanical rather than guiding the reader through comparisons. Use one sentence per trend where needed, and connect each year directly to its figure. Clearer paragraph-level grouping and more precise referencing would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some appropriate task vocabulary, including “decline,” “plateaued,” “increased” and “levelled off,” which helps describe changes over time. The range is adequate for reporting the table, but several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward: “percentage change” suggests the table gives changes rather than percentages, “remain the lowest” is not a natural description, and “No children couple” is unclear. There is also inconsistent spelling in “dependent” and “dependant.” Aim for precise category labels such as “couples without children” and use standard trend phrases consistently. More accurate collocations would make the report clearer and more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main trends can generally be understood. However, some errors in agreement, tense and sentence construction remain. For example, “The table demonstrate” should be “The table demonstrates,” while “dependent children is at 52%” needs a plural verb and a more suitable reporting structure. The sequence “start declining from 47% to 39% in 1981 to 2001” also lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the figures and dates. In the overview, begin “Overall” with a capital letter, and use consistent past-tense reporting for the historical data. Practise constructing sentences that pair each value with its year; this will improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at varied structures.

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