Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-21

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 households owning and renting accommodation in England and Whales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, it can be seen that households in owned accommodation recorded the highest figure at the start of the period then it experienced a dramatic fall by the end of the period. While the households in rented accommodation recorded the lowest figure then it increased gradually throughout the period.

In 1918, the proportion of owned houses accounted for around 23%, in contrast to the rented houses that had around 78%, making it the highest category. Then households owning accommodation increased to 31% in 1939 and remained constant until 1953 then it increased gradually and reached at 69% in 2001 and experienced a downward trend and recorded at 64% in 2011.

In 1939, rented households accounted for around 69% and remain constant until 1953. Meanwhile, it experienced a downward trend and reached at around 31% in 2001 and then increased to 35% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart well, identifying the key trends for both owned and rented accommodation. You successfully highlight the starting and ending points and the general shift over the period. However, there is a significant factual error in your summary: you state that owned accommodation 'recorded the highest figure at the start of the period,' when the chart clearly shows that rented accommodation was the dominant category in 1918. Additionally, the description of the trends is slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview accurately reflects the data and avoid minor inaccuracies in reporting the figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two categories. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In 1918', 'In contrast to', and 'Meanwhile' to link your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. For example, the connection between the overview and the body paragraphs is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words would help the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'accounted for', 'downward trend', and 'remained constant'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Whales' instead of 'Wales' and 'reached at' (the preposition 'at' is unnecessary after 'reached'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and ensure accurate collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, 'it experienced a dramatic fall' is used repeatedly, and there are issues with verb tense consistency and unnecessary prepositions, such as 'reached at 69%'. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'making it the highest category' which lacks a clear subject reference. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and eliminating redundant prepositions will improve your accuracy.

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