Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-16
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 bar graph shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.
According to the bar graph, in 1918 22% households are in owned accommodation and 78% of households in rented accommodation. From 1939 to 1953 households in owned accommodation remained same at 32% and 68% remained same for rented accommodation. Household ownership increased gradually by 10% till 60% in 1981 whereas, household which were there for rent decreased 10% each decade till 40% in 1981.
Furthermore, in 1991 household ownership and rented accommodation increased and decreased at 69% and 32% respectively. Between the year 2001 and 2011, ownership of household first increased to 69% and then decreased by 6%. Meanwhile, rented households decreased 2% from the previous decade and then again rose steadily to 37% in 2011.
Overall, owned households accommodation increased steadily as the decade passed. While, rented accommodation households decreased till the 2011.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, including the starting and ending points and the general trends. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview of the significant shift in the late 20th century. While you identified the key data points, the description of the trends between 1939 and 1953 is slightly inaccurate based on the provided data, and the explanation of the 2001-2011 period is confusing. To improve, ensure you group data logically rather than listing every decade, and provide a more cohesive summary of the overall trend in the introduction or conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Meanwhile' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between decades feels abrupt. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where the reference to 'the 2011' is grammatically awkward. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe trends such as 'increased gradually' and 'decreased'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is repetition of phrases like 'households in owned accommodation' and 'rented accommodation'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' (e.g., 'surged', 'plummeted', 'fluctuated') and use more precise terminology to describe the data, such as 'proportion' or 'percentage share' instead of repeating 'households' constantly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as '22% households are' (should be '22% of households were') and 'remained same' (should be 'remained the same'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'decreased 2% from the previous decade'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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