Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-18

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 chart illustrates the percentage of families who lived in owned and rented houses in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, a significant percentage of households accommodated in rented houses initially, while it showed a gradual decline over the years. In contrast, a lower percentage of families stayed in owned accommodations in the first year and showed an increased throughout the period.

In detail, the highest percentage of families lived in rented accommodations at nearly 77% in 1918 which declined to approximately 68% in 1939, and reached at about 32% until 2001. However, this figure rose to nearly 36% in 2011, showed a significant fall overall.

Regarding rented accommodations, about 23% lived in these houses in 1918, rosed gradually to nearly 41% in 1961, and climbed sharply to nearly 69% in 2001. This figure decreased to 64% in 2011, presented a growth in accommodations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you have identified the main trends and provided data points, there are significant inaccuracies in your reporting. For example, you state that the rented accommodation figure 'showed a significant fall overall' after mentioning a rise to 36%, which is contradictory. Furthermore, you confuse the categories in the final paragraph, labeling the data for 'owned' accommodation as 'rented'. These errors in data interpretation and the failure to meet the length requirement prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'However'. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the factual errors mentioned in the task achievement section. The referencing is sometimes confusing, particularly when you switch the labels for the two categories in the final paragraph. While the structure is generally coherent, the mechanical use of some transitions and the lack of clarity in the data presentation limit the effectiveness of the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accommodated', 'gradual decline', and 'significant fall'. However, there are instances of word choice errors, such as using 'accommodated' as an intransitive verb ('households accommodated in rented houses') and the misuse of 'rosed' (the past tense of rise is 'rose'). These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a limited control over more sophisticated lexical items. To improve, focus on using accurate collocations and ensuring that terminology is used consistently throughout the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'showed an increased' (should be 'an increase'), 'reached at about' (unnecessary preposition), and 'rosed' (incorrect verb form). Additionally, the sentence 'This figure decreased to 64% in 2011, presented a growth in accommodations' is a comma splice and lacks a proper conjunction or relative pronoun. While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding the general meaning, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures.

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