Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-07

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 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates the changes of proportion of housing in families: either self-owned or renting across England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, the rented accommodation dropped dramatically in the 20th century, households in owning, whereas, surged among these years. In the 21st century, this trend is projected to reverse.

At the start of 1918, renting occupied the highest market, having over 75% of households, but following a declining trend, where it intersected with the rising owning accommodation in 1971; each consisted of half of the total household percentage. After 1971, the rented accommodation continued decreasing: hitting a low in 2001, with only 32% of households.

On the other hand, the owned accommodation started off with 22% of households in 1918, with slightly upward fluctuations up to 1953, then thrived significantly thereafter to the peak of near 70% in 2001.

During 2011, the percentage of households in owning dropped with the rise of proportion in renting reversely - approximately 63% and 38% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers the main features of the chart, identifying the key trends and the point of intersection in 1971. You successfully highlighted the overall shift from renting to owning and the subsequent reversal in 2011. The data is accurately reported, and the comparison between the two categories is clear throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview is more precise; for instance, mentioning that the reversal occurred specifically after 2001 would strengthen the summary. Overall, the response is well-focused and addresses all parts of the task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that follow a chronological progression. Cohesive devices such as 'on the other hand', 'thereafter', and 'consequently' (implied) are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the use of 'reversely' in the final paragraph is somewhat awkward. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the trends. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to ensure the flow between sentences is more natural and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the trends, using terms like 'surged', 'declining trend', and 'fluctuations'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the changes of proportion of housing in families' and 'renting occupied the highest market'. These minor errors do not impede communication but prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Incorporating more precise academic collocations would enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'households in owning, whereas, surged' and 'the percentage of households in owning dropped with the rise of proportion in renting'. These errors are noticeable but do not cause confusion. To improve, focus on refining your use of prepositions and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound when describing trends. Increasing the variety of complex sentence forms would also be beneficial.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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