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 graph illustrates information about the people who owned and rented house in England between 1918 and 2011.
During 1918 to 1971 most people preferred renting accommodation while in the 1971 numbers are similar and after 1971 there was a rapid rise in the people who preferred owning accommodation.
Almost 75% people preferred renting house in England in 1918 while only 25% people used to have owned accommodation. however, this number started falling year by year till 1971. in 1971 figure was 50% for owned accommodation and same for rented accommodation. through out these years people who used to prefer rented households dropped by 30 % year by year till 1971. from the 1971 we can see remarkable rise in the people who are preferring to own households in England. after 1971 it was started increasing while rented households number was decreasing side by side till 2011. in 2011 owned households decreased by 5 % and after long time marginal growth of 5 % happened in rented households accommodation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 trends and provides a clear overview of the data. You successfully identified the crossover point in 1971 and the general shift from renting to owning. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccurate reporting of the data. For instance, you mention that rented households 'dropped by 30% year by year,' which is a misinterpretation of the chart's cumulative data. Additionally, the final sentence regarding the 2011 figures is confusing and does not accurately reflect the visual information provided. To improve, ensure that your descriptions of trends are mathematically precise and clearly linked to the specific time periods shown on the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of time. You use some cohesive devices like 'however' and 'throughout these years' to connect ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical phrasing and some awkward transitions, such as 'from the 1971 we can see.' The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to distinguish between the two categories at certain points. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow more naturally into one another without relying on repetitive structures.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the trends using terms like 'rapid rise,' 'marginal growth,' and 'decreasing.' However, there is a lack of variety, and some word choices are imprecise or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'people who preferred' and 'households.' There are also some minor errors in collocation, such as 'rented house' instead of 'rented accommodation.' To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and ensure that you are using collocations correctly to describe statistical trends, which will help demonstrate a more flexible range of vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the 1971,' 'in 1971 figure'), subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. For example, 'it was started increasing' is grammatically incorrect. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several sentences starting with lowercase letters. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb tenses. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help raise your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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