Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-10
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)
The given vertical column graph represents the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and wales in 1918 and 2011. The data has been calibrated into percentage.
Overall it is crystal clear that in initially year the percentage of households in rented accommodation began considerably decrease till last year of bar graph and the percentage of households in owned accommodation were noticed as rapidly increased till the last year.
At a fleeting glance, in year 1918 the percentage of rented households were noticed less than 80% but in same year owned households sharply decrease less than 25%. Followed by this in year 1939 and 1953 the rented households stay constant at 70% and also owned households were remain similar at 30%. In year 1961 there was slowly drop of 10% in rented households and also jump of 10 % in owned households.
Moving further, in 1971 owned and rented households were stay stable at 50%. In year 1991 and 2001 there was owned households were rapidly climb at percentage of 70% and rented households did not surpass 40 % in last year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response provides a general overview and identifies key trends, such as the inverse relationship between owned and rented accommodation. However, the data reporting is often inaccurate. For instance, stating that rented households were 'less than 80%' in 1918 is vague, and the claim that owned households 'sharply decrease' in 1918 contradicts the visual data, which shows a low starting point. The description of the 1939-1953 period as 'constant' is acceptable, but the overall reporting lacks the precision required for a higher band. The summary of the trends is present, but the lack of accurate data points limits the effectiveness of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction to an overview and then into specific data points. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or awkward. Phrases like 'At a fleeting glance' and 'Followed by this' are used incorrectly or sound unnatural in an academic context. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the referencing is sometimes confusing, particularly when describing the trends of the two categories simultaneously. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be improved with more varied and accurate linking words.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication expected at higher levels. There is a reliance on basic descriptive terms like 'jump', 'drop', and 'climb'. Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'calibrated' to describe the data presentation, which is not the correct term in this context. There are also issues with collocation, such as 'in initially year' instead of 'in the initial year'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the range is limited and the errors in word choice are noticeable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'rented households were stay stable') and incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'owned households were remain'). Prepositional errors are also frequent, such as 'at percentage of 70%'. While the reader can follow the general meaning, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to basic sentence construction and verb forms is necessary.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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