Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-01

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 6.5)

The bar graph compares the proportion of households owing and renting accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, the rented house shows great interest in the beginning. However, over the period, it dramatically decreased. On the other hand, owned houses were in minority. As time passes, it peaked to highest position. Hence, it surpassed the proportion of rented house too.

In 1918, majority of households were in rented accommodation with 75%, rest of 25% occupied by owned accommodation. Over the few decades, the percentage of rented accommodation gradually declined. By 1971, the ratio becomes equal. From the following years, the proportion of owned house dramatically increased. It started from 60% and continued to approximately 70% in 2001. By contrast, the proportion of rented accommodation was ultimately decreasing in the following years.

Although, the percentage of owned houses slightly decline to 68%. Similarly, the proportion of rented house slightly climbed to 35%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the key shift from rented to owned accommodation and noted the crossover point. However, the report could be improved by including more precise data points to support your observations. For instance, when you mention that owned houses 'peaked to highest position,' citing the specific percentage and year would strengthen the analysis. Additionally, the final paragraph contains some inaccuracies regarding the data trends (e.g., the claim that rented housing climbed to 35% in the final period is not clearly supported by the typical interpretation of such charts). Ensure that all data points are accurately transcribed from the visual information provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of your ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall,' 'On the other hand,' and 'By contrast,' to link your points. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical phrasing, such as 'Hence, it surpassed the proportion of rented house too.' The use of cohesive devices is sometimes repetitive or slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the transition between sentences is smoother and more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe trends like 'dramatically decreased' and 'gradually declined.' However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation. For example, 'rented house shows great interest' is not an appropriate way to describe statistical data; 'rented accommodation was the most common form of housing' would be more precise. You rely on a somewhat limited range of vocabulary, and some phrases are slightly awkward. Expanding your repertoire of academic collocations and synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a good start. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'majority of households were in rented accommodation' (missing an article), 'the ratio becomes equal' (tense inconsistency), and 'owned houses were in minority' (missing an article). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and maintaining consistent verb tenses when describing historical data.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.