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 bar graph depicts the household in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.
In these two regions rented household accommodation was very common and popular in 1918 which was near about 78% and owned was about 22%. In between 1918 and 1961 rented accommodation was famous and this method was used by most of the people of that time and their percentage was higher than owned house.
Sudden change occurs in 1971 the own household and rented household was same and about 50%.
After 1971 there was decrease in rented household from 1981 to 2011, people understand that having own house is much better than living on rented house. The percentage of living in own home reached to 60 to 65%. this was great change for the England and Wales.
After 1971 the rent of house increased so they thought that building own house is more efficient and more comfortable.
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, such as the initial dominance of rented accommodation and the crossover point in 1971. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. You mention that rented accommodation was 'popular' or 'famous,' which is not an accurate way to describe statistical data. Furthermore, you include personal speculation in the final paragraph ('people understand that having own house is much better,' 'they thought that building own house is more efficient'), which is not supported by the data provided. Task 1 requires an objective summary of the trends, not an explanation of the reasons behind them. To improve, focus strictly on reporting the figures and identifying the key trends without adding external opinions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by the lack of cohesive devices. Transitions between sentences are often abrupt, and the use of referencing is limited. For example, the jump from 1971 to 1981 and then to 2011 lacks clear linking words to show the progression of time or the relationship between the data points. While the overall arrangement is understandable, the lack of variety in cohesive devices makes the writing feel somewhat mechanical. Using words like 'subsequently,' 'meanwhile,' or 'in contrast' would help improve the flow of your writing significantly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on simple descriptors like 'famous' or 'great change,' which are not appropriate for academic data reporting. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'the own household and rented household was same.' To achieve a higher score, you should use more precise terminology related to trends, such as 'fluctuated,' 'remained stable,' 'surpassed,' or 'a significant shift.' Expanding your range of reporting verbs and nouns will help you convey the information more professionally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Sudden change occurs,' 'rented household was same'), missing articles ('having own house'), and punctuation errors. Some sentences are fragmented or lack necessary prepositions. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic errors such as pluralisation and article usage, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions, to demonstrate a wider range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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