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 given bar graph illustrates the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011. The x-axis represents the years of rented accommodation and the y-axis represents the percentages of households. The light gray colored bar is for the house
holds in owned accommodation and the dark colored bar shows households in rented accommodation.
To begin with, in the year 1918, a very few people of about 22% preferred to own a house compared to about 78% of people renting accommodation. Next, in the year 1939 and 1953 owned and rented households have been the same of about 31% and 69%. After that in the year 19621 till 2001 the owned households have been increasing to about 69% and the rented households have been uniformly decreasing to about 31%. Then in the year 2011, it is observed a slight decrease in the owned households and slight increase in the rented households.
Overall, It is observed that people preferer to own a household rather than rent one
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 data, such as the initial dominance of rented accommodation and the subsequent shift toward home ownership. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the statement 'in the year 1939 and 1953 owned and rented households have been the same of about 31% and 69%' is factually confusing and lacks clarity. The overview is also very brief and does not fully capture the significant trends over the nearly century-long period. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more detailed summary of the overall trends and ensure that the data points cited are accurate and clearly explained.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Next', and 'After that' to link sentences. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the mention of 'the year 19621', which is a typographical error that disrupts the flow. The overall structure is adequate, but the logical progression could be improved by grouping the data more effectively rather than listing years chronologically in a repetitive manner.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the trends using terms like 'increasing', 'decreasing', and 'percentage'. However, the range is limited and there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'preferred to own a household' (instead of 'home') and 'people of about 22%'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. To improve, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'a significant shift occurred'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'owned and rented households have been the same of about 31%', which is awkward and inaccurate. The use of tenses is also inconsistent; for instance, 'have been increasing' is used where a simple past tense would be more appropriate for historical data. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors throughout. To achieve a higher score, focus on using a wider variety of complex structures with greater accuracy and ensure consistent tense usage when describing historical trends.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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