Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-26

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 table illustrates changes in percentages of people living in different types of households in Great Britian from 1971 to 2007.

Overall, the table shows households consisting of couples with dependent children rose and then fall considerably. Moreover, the household with no dependent children face very slight changes. However, the lone parent and the parents with no children percentage also increased.

In 1971, couple with dependent children accounted for the largest share, at 52%. However, the figure fell steadily to 47% in 1981, 41% in 1991, before reaching 36% in 2007. The proportion of couples with non-dependent children fluctuated slightly, rising from 10% to 11% in 1991 before falling to 9% in 2001 and 2007.

Regarding other household types, the percentage of people living alone doubled from 6% in 1971 to 12% in 2001, where it remained until 2007. Similarly, lone-parent households became more common, with their figure rising from just 4% in 1971 to 12% in 2001. This percentage also remained stable in the final year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main decline in households with dependent children and the increases in one-person and lone-parent households, supporting these points with accurate figures. The overview also notes that the no-children category changed only slightly, although it would be clearer to specify that this refers to couples without children, whose share rose from 19% to 25% and then levelled off. A key omission is that this category is not described in the body, despite being one of the largest household types. Also, the overview says dependent-child households “rose and then fall,” which conflicts with the data: they declined throughout. The response selects relevant features, but fuller coverage and a more precise overview would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview and two detail paragraphs, and the information generally progresses from the largest category to other household types. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “Regarding other household types” help signal the stages of the summary. The contrastive “However” is less suitable before the dependent-children figures, since the sentence simply continues the same downward trend. The reference “This percentage” is understandable, but repeating “lone-parent households” would make the final sentence more precise. The main limitation is that the paragraphing leaves the couple-with-no-children figures unreported, so the coverage feels uneven. More deliberate grouping and slightly more precise referencing would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “accounted for the largest share,” “proportion,” “fluctuated slightly,” and “remained stable.” These expressions help describe proportions and trends without excessive repetition. Some choices are imprecise or awkward: “households consisting of couples with dependent children” is cumbersome, and “the household with no dependent children” does not clearly identify couples without children. “Face very slight changes” is also an unnatural collocation for describing data. There is a spelling error in “Great Britian.” These slips do not prevent understanding, but more accurate category labels and natural collocations would make the description more precise and polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the time sequence in “rising from 10% to 11% in 1991 before falling to 9%” and the clause “where it remained until 2007.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends clearly. Some errors remain: “rose and then fall” mixes past-tense forms, and “the lone parent and the parents with no children percentage also increased” has an awkward, grammatically unclear noun phrase. In “the household with no dependent children face,” the singular subject does not agree with the verb; “households … faced” or “the percentage … changed” would be clearer. Greater control of tense, agreement and noun-phrase construction would improve accuracy while retaining your sentence variety.

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