Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-07-25

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 8.0)

The bar chart illustrate information about the percentage of people who owned and rented house in England and Wales between 1918 to 2011.

Overall, In 1918, rented accommodation became very popular. The highest percent found in 1918 at approximately 78% while it gradually declined over the years. In contrast, people changed their choice and increased percentage of owned house. In 2001 was the highest percent of people to own their house at around 69%.

In 1918, only 22% of households owned their homes, whereas the remaining 78% lived in rented accommodation. Home ownership then increased gradually to 31% in 1939 and 32% in 1953, before rising more significantly to 42% in 1961. By 1971, the proportions of owned and rented housing both reached 50%.

After 1971, home ownership continued to grow and reached 60% in 1981 and approximately 68% in 1991. It peaked at around 69% in 2001, while renting fell to its lowest level of 31%. In 2011, however, the percentage of owner-occupied homes declined slightly to 65%, whereas the proportion of rented accommodation rose to 36%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task. You have identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your summary. The overview is clear, highlighting the shift from rented to owned accommodation over the period. You have made effective comparisons, such as noting the crossover point in 1971 and the peak of home ownership in 2001. The information is accurate based on the provided chart, and the response is well-structured to cover the chronological progression of the data effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group information chronologically. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'whereas', 'before rising', and 'however' are used effectively to link ideas and show relationships between the data. The progression of information is smooth, and each paragraph has a clear central topic. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the initial trends from the more detailed analysis of the later years.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'gradually declined', 'increased', 'peaked', and 'declined slightly'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'The bar chart illustrate' (should be 'illustrates') and 'highest percent' (should be 'highest percentage'). However, these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is generally appropriate for an academic report, and you have successfully used terms like 'owner-occupied' and 'proportion' to add precision to your description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('chart illustrate') and minor prepositional issues ('between 1918 to 2011' should be 'between 1918 and 2011'), the majority of your sentences are error-free. The use of complex structures, such as 'while it gradually declined' and 'before rising more significantly', shows a good command of grammar. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not cause any difficulty for the reader.

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