Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-19
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 proportion of people who purchase own houses and rented places in England and Wales within the given timeframe.
Overall, the maximum number of households in owned accommodation were 69% in 2001 while the minimum were 22% in 1918. Conversely, the largest portion were attain by rented households in 1918 as comprised for 78% whereas the smallest were at 31% in 2001.
Having a brief look at the chart it is evident that the folks who owned household were above 25% in 1918 whereas it was steadily escalated in 1939 and remain stable in 1953. In addition, people live in own accommodation soared in the upcoming years from 41% to 69%, respectively. Therefore, it became constant in 2001 while slightly plunged in the year 2011.
Moving further, the spaces which were rented were at the peak in 1918 and slightly plummeted next 21 years. However, after being unchanged in 1953, it again declined below 60% in 1961 and the trend goes on. It went down to approximately 10% in every 10 years until 2001. In contrast, pupil prefer rented places again in 2011 as represented for 35%.
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 overall trends and specific data points. You successfully identified the start and end points and the general inverse relationship between owned and rented accommodation. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccurate data reporting; for instance, stating the maximum for owned homes was 69% in 2001 is correct, but the description of the rented trend as declining by 'approximately 10% in every 10 years' is not supported by the data provided. To improve, ensure that your reporting of trends is more precise and that you avoid making generalisations that do not accurately reflect the specific figures shown in the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'In addition', and 'Moving further' to link ideas. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Having a brief look at the chart'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the rented accommodation trends. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect the data points more fluidly rather than relying on simple sentence-by-sentence reporting.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points, using terms like 'proportion', 'steadily escalated', and 'plummeted'. However, there are several instances of inappropriate word choice and non-standard collocations, such as 'folks' (too informal for an academic task), 'attain by' (incorrect usage), and 'pupil' (incorrect word choice for 'people'). These errors occasionally distract the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your word choices are appropriate for a formal report. Avoid informal language and ensure collocations are accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the largest portion were attain by' (passive voice error), 'people live in own accommodation' (missing article/preposition), and 'as represented for 35%' (incorrect prepositional phrase). These errors are noticeable and occasionally impede the clarity of the information. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that passive constructions are formed accurately. Increasing the number of error-free sentences will significantly improve your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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