Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 4.0)

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of households owned and rented accommodation in england and wales in between 1918 and 2011.

Overall,citizen of england and wales preffered to stay in rented accommodation till 1961, but after that people preffered owned accommodation till 2011.

In 1918 citizen mostly use households in rented accommodation which then decreases till 1961

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and gives a broad overview: renting was more common initially, while ownership became more common later. However, the overview is imprecise: the two categories were equal in 1971, not clearly one preferred over the other, and ownership remained higher through 2011. The only specific trend mentioned is that renting decreased to 1961; there are no figures and no account of the subsequent rise in ownership, the 2001 peak, or the slight reversal by 2011. Most importantly, the response is 49 words, well below the required 150, so the task is only minimally covered. Add a fuller summary with key comparisons and representative data from the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic sequence: an introduction is followed by an overview and then a detail about renting. The use of “Overall” signals the summary, and “which then” attempts to connect the final point to the earlier trend. However, the response ends abruptly after one incomplete account of the data, with no developed paragraphing or progression through the main features. The overview and detail also overlap rather than building a fuller comparison. To improve, organise the response into a clear introduction, overview, and two detail paragraphs, grouping the earlier years and later years. Use links such as “By contrast” or “From 1971 onwards” to make the comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “percentage,” “bar chart,” “rented accommodation,” and “owned accommodation,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the vocabulary is basic and repetitive, and some word choices are unnatural: “citizen … preferred to stay in” is not an appropriate way to describe household accommodation data. “Mostly use households” is also unclear. Spelling and capitalisation errors in “england” and “preffered” further reduce accuracy. Use precise chart language such as “the proportion of households,” “home ownership,” “renting,” “rose,” and “fell,” and check spelling carefully. A wider range of accurate trend vocabulary would make the report clearer and more suitable for IELTS Academic Task 1.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response contains a few short sentence forms, and the main message can generally be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. In the opening, “the percentage of households owned and rented accommodation” lacks a grammatical link; write “the percentage of households that owned or rented accommodation.” The phrase “in between 1918 and 2011” uses an unnecessary preposition, while “citizen … preferred” has a singular subject that does not fit the intended plural meaning. The final sentence, “In 1918 citizen mostly use households … which then decreases,” shifts awkwardly between past and present and has unclear clause reference. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete comparative sentences, for example, “The proportion renting fell from 77% in 1918 to 59% in 1961.”

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