Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-30

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 provided chart illustrate percntages of people in household in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007, costituting four time sections. Table contains two sections maily one person and one family households section.

Data provided in first section shows percentages of one person in households increases with time. Maximum percentage of one person in households recorded in 2001 and 2007, however least percentaged was recorded in 1971. Numbers gradually increased along passing time from 6% to 12% .

The second section denotes one-family households percentages from 1971 to 2007. This section contains 4 sub-sections namely no children,dependent, non-dependent children and lone parent. In 1971 percentage vof no children in household varied significantly with time, higest percentage recorded in 2001 and 2007 around 25%. Throughout the table percentage of no children in household increased gradually with time from 19 to 25 percent. On contrary, dependent children numbers in households decreased with time, as highest number 52% recorded in 1971 and least in 2007 as 36%. A sudden decline is reported in dependent children in households with time. However non-dependent children didn't fluctuate much as it recorded only one percent rise or fall in all time frames, 10% each in 1971 and 1981, 11% in 1991 and 9% each in 2001 and 2007. On the other hand lone parent percentage increases with time from 4 to 12%. Highest percentage recorded in 2001 and 2007 of 12%, however leaast percentage was in 1971 which accounted for 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main direction of change for all five categories, and most figures are accurate: for example, dependent-child households fall from 52% to 36%, while lone-parent households rise from 4% to 12%. However, the response lacks a distinct overview that draws together the most important features. The opening mainly describes the table’s sections, rather than summarising its overall pattern. Some descriptions are also imprecise: “a sudden decline” overstates the gradual fall in dependent-child households, and saying the no-children figure “varied significantly” conflicts with its steady rise. To strengthen the response, add a concise overview highlighting the sharpest contrast—dependent children declined, while one-person, childless-couple and lone-parent households generally increased—and describe changes proportionately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it first discusses one-person households, then moves to the one-family categories, and uses time order to explain changes. Linking expressions such as “On the contrary,” “However” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons. At times, though, these links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely; “On the contrary” is less suitable for introducing the decline in dependent-child households after the rise in childless households. The second paragraph is also dense, with several categories and repeated statements about highest and lowest values. Use clearer paragraphing or shorter grouped comparisons, and make the overview a separate paragraph so the progression from summary to details is easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “increases,” “decreased,” “recorded” and “gradually,” so the reader can understand the main trends. There is some variety in how you describe change, but several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision: “four time sections” is not a natural description of the years, “numbers” is used where “percentages” is intended, and “varied significantly” does not accurately describe a steady increase. Spelling errors such as “percntages,” “constituting,” “higest” and “leaast” are noticeable. Aim for accurate, conventional chart language, and proofread carefully; terms such as “rose,” “fell,” “remained stable” and “accounted for” can describe the figures more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “however” and “as,” and the overall meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence structure and agreement. For example, “The provided chart illustrate” needs a singular verb, while “Data provided in first section shows” needs an article and clearer agreement. The fragment-like construction “as highest number 52% recorded” also needs a complete clause, such as “the highest figure was 52% in 1971.” Punctuation and spacing around commas are inconsistent, and some long sentences combine several comparisons without clear boundaries. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence completeness, then divide dense sentences where needed.

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