Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-11
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 chart illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented apartment between England and Wales from 1918 and 2011.
Overall, the percentage of the families in England and Wales living in a rented accommodation are slightly higher than the number of households in owned apartment. Moreover, there were equal number of households in both rented and owned apartment in 1971. Furthermore, 1918 has the highest and the lowest percentage of the households staying in both self owned and lease apartment in both countries respectively. The proportion of the families in rented apartment decreased steadily until 2011 when it increased, while the percentage of households in owned accommodation increased throughout the years until 2011 were it dropped.
2001 and 1918 were at the top and the bottom of people in self owned accommodation in England and Wales respectively. Furthermore, 1939 and 1953 has almost the same amount of numbers with about 31 percentage, the same applied to 191 and 2001 with about 69%.
1918 has the highest percentage of rented households while 2001 has the least, although that has almost equal percentage of about 30%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the main features, but there are significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, stating that rented accommodation was 'slightly higher' than owned is contradicted by the visual data, which shows a clear crossover point. The description of trends is also confusing; the claim that rented accommodation 'decreased steadily until 2011 when it increased' is not supported by the chart, which shows a more complex pattern. Furthermore, the mention of '191' as a year is a clear typographical error. While the main features are identified, the lack of precision and factual errors in reporting the data significantly hinder the task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is often disjointed. While cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'although' are used, they are sometimes employed mechanically or to connect ideas that do not logically follow one another. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing specific years and percentages. The paragraphing is present but does not effectively group related information, leading to a somewhat fragmented reading experience. Improved logical progression and more precise use of linking words would enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'percentage', 'number', and 'households'. There are issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'lease apartment' instead of 'rented accommodation' and 'self owned' instead of 'owner-occupied'. The student struggles to use precise terminology to describe trends, often resorting to vague descriptions. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of errors in terminology prevent a higher score. Expanding the range of descriptive verbs and nouns related to data analysis is recommended.
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. Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, such as 'the percentage... are' and '1939 and 1953 has'. There are also issues with preposition usage and tense consistency. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often clunky. To improve, the student should focus on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions, before attempting more complex sentence forms.
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