Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-14

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 5.5)

In the meantime, we discuss the houses that are rented for rent or who own the houses in England and Wales from 1928 to 2011. I'll discuss both sides of the paragraph.

During the time period from 1918 to 1961 we see the gradual increase in the number of people who own the houses and a decrease in the number of people who rent the houses. It shows that people are slowly moving from rented houses to buying houses.

In 1971, we can see that both sides, the rent side and the buy side. People are equal.

On the other hand, we see a significant change from 1981 to 2001 in the proportion of people buying houses. People preferring live in their own houses instead of living in rented accomodation.

But in 2011, there is a slight decrease in their own houses and in rented houses, which was a little lower than 2001.

Overall, the chart show us how the people preferring from rental houses to buying houses in the years from 1928 to 2011. I strongly believe that in the next decades more people will buy the houses instead of living in rented accomodation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main long-term movement: ownership rises while renting falls, and you note that the two shares are equal in 1971. You also mention the later reversal in 2011. However, the account is only partly developed: it gives almost no accurate figures beyond the equality, and the claim of a “significant change from 1981 to 2001” misses that ownership rose only slightly from about 60% to 69% during this period. The opening and conclusion incorrectly give 1928 rather than 1918, and the prediction about future buying is not supported by the chart. A clearer overview should state that ownership peaked in 2001 before declining, while renting followed the opposite pattern.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to chronological observations and a concluding statement. The sequence from 1918–1961 to 1971, then 1981–2001 and 2011, helps the reader follow the timeline. However, progression is weakened by vague or incomplete sentences such as “both sides, the rent side and the buy side. People are equal,” and by repeated references to “people” rather than clearly tracking the two household proportions. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “But” are used, but do not always express a clear contrast. Organise the body around the overall trends and key turning points, and use precise references such as “the ownership share” and “the rental share” to make connections clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant topic vocabulary, including “proportion,” “rented accommodation,” “significant change,” and “gradual increase.” This shows a basic ability to describe trends, but the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or repetitive. “Houses that are rented for rent” is redundant, while “people preferring live” and “people preferring from rental houses” are awkward and make the intended meaning less clear. “The rent side and the buy side” is also informal and imprecise for chart description. There is a spelling error in “accomodation.” Build a more precise set of trend terms and collocations, such as “the proportion of households,” “home ownership,” “declined,” and “reached a peak,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer clauses, including “During the time period from 1918 to 1961 we see…” and “People preferring live in their own houses instead of living in rented accomodation.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “the chart show us” has subject–verb disagreement, while “People preferring live” lacks a correctly formed verb construction. The sentence about 1971 is incomplete, and “in the number of people who own the houses” does not maintain a clear, accurate tense for describing historical data. Practise complete sentences with a consistent past tense, for example, “In 1971, the proportions of households owning and renting were equal.”

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