Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-09

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 graph illustrates the share of people staying in rented accommodation versus owned premises in England during the period of 1918 to 2011.

Overall, there is an increase in the percentage of households residing in an owned property through the years from a mere 22% to a sharp uptick to around 62%.

It can be observed that the ratio of households staying in rented accommodation was always higher in comparison to households staying in owned accommodation between the years 1918 and 1961. There is a levelling off in the trend during the year 1971 before a flip in the historical trend took place. From 1981 till 2011, there seemed to be either a change in the thought process of the population of England or an increase in purchasing power due to which the proportion of people renting vs owning switched in a way that the share of households residing in owned accommodation was way higher that the households residing in rented accommodation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the overall trend of increasing home ownership and the crossover point between the two categories. However, the analysis is somewhat limited. While you mention the 1971 'levelling off' and the 1981–2011 period, the report lacks specific data points for key years (e.g., the exact percentages in 1918 or 2011), which is essential for a high-scoring Task 1 response. Additionally, the speculation regarding the 'thought process of the population' is subjective and should be avoided in an Academic Task 1 report, which requires a purely objective summary of the provided data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'It can be observed that,' and 'From 1981 till 2011,' which help guide the reader. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraph could be smoother, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the data to enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'residing,' 'proportion,' and 'purchasing power.' However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'staying in' (better: 'living in' or 'occupying') and 'flip in the historical trend' (better: 'reversal of the trend'). The phrase 'way higher that' contains a grammatical error ('that' instead of 'than') and is also stylistically informal. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'the share of households residing in owned accommodation was way higher that the households' contains a comparative error ('than' is required) and a slightly awkward structure. Additionally, 'through the years from a mere 22% to a sharp uptick to around 62%' is a bit clunky. The punctuation is generally correct, but the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. Focusing on more varied sentence patterns would improve your score.

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