Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-29

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 illustrates the change of people in households in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

Overall, it is clear that the proportion of most of the categories in household types have increased throughout the period, Whereas the family households the percentage of dependent childern is higher as compared to non-independent children.

In 1971, one person represented the smallest figure, at 6 percent, which increased siginficantly over the period to 12 percent. The figure for no childern also increased gradually over the period from 19 percent in 1971 to 25 percent in 2007.

Furthermore, household having dependent children was higher than those having non-dependent children, accouting for 52 percent, which fell considerably to 36 percent in 2007. The figure for non-dependent children stood at only 10 percent, which fell slightly to 9 percent . Moreover, although the number of lone parents constituted at only percent in 1971, the figure rose to 12 percent in 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant trends, including the rise in one-person households from 6% to 12%, the increase in couples without children from 19% to 25%, and the fall in households with dependent children from 52% to 36%. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: not most categories increased throughout, since non-dependent children ended lower than their 1971 figure, and the dependent-children category declined. The comparison between dependent and non-dependent children is relevant, but it does not replace a clear summary of the main overall patterns. The lone-parent figure for 1971 is also left incomplete, and the response gives limited coverage of the intermediate years. State the key rises and falls accurately in the overview, then support them with selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs reporting figures, and expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “Moreover” help signal relationships. However, progression is not consistently clear. The overview combines a broad claim about increases with a comparison of child categories, rather than grouping the main trends. The final paragraph also moves between dependent children, non-dependent children, and lone parents without a clear organising principle. Some linking is mechanical, and “the figure” is repeated without always making the category immediately clear. Grouping the rising categories together and the declining categories together, with clear references to each, would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some suitable task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “represented,” “increased gradually,” and “fell considerably,” which allows you to describe changes and compare categories. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors are noticeable: “change of people” is imprecise, “household having dependent children” is awkward, and “accounting” and “significantly” are misspelled. “Non-independent children” also changes the table’s label, which is “non-dependent children.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but they reduce precision. Use the table’s category names consistently and practise accurate collocations for describing percentages and household groups.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which increased significantly over the period” and a contrast introduced by “although.” Most of the main trends remain understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “the proportion of most of the categories … have increased” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “although the number of lone parents constituted at only percent” is grammatically incomplete and omits a value. The capitalised “Whereas” after a comma also disrupts the sentence, and spacing before full stops is inconsistent. Build complex sentences around a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and punctuation before finishing.

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