Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-22
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 assigned bar graph illustrates the percentage of households in owned as well as rented accommodation ,wales between 1918 and 2011 in England.
Overall, in the starting household in rented accommodation experienced large over the period ,while households in owned accommodation declined gradually.
By contrast, in 1918 households in rented accommodation rose sharply more than 70% ,whereas people living in their houses in a downward trend around less than 30% ,then both people in rented house and in owned house were remained same between 1939 and 1953 about less than 70% and 32% respectively. After that, households in owned accommodation was slightly increased in 1961 about 40%. Similarly, people lived in rented house slightly decreased in 1961 near about 60%. In 1971 both were reached same position at 50%.
In 1981 to 2001, number of people in their homes show an upward trend from 60 to near around 70% and people lived in rented home rapidly declined from 40% to more than 30%. Furthermore, in 2011, households in rented accommodation marginally surged near around 40% and households in owned accommodation experienced fall less than 70%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall trends and specific data points. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the summary in the second paragraph is confusing, stating that rented accommodation experienced a 'large' trend, which is vague. While key data points are mentioned, the comparison between the two categories is sometimes inaccurate or poorly phrased, such as the claim that both remained the same between 1939 and 1953. The description of the trends lacks precision in places, and the overview could be more clearly articulated to highlight the significant shift from renting to owning over the century.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. While some cohesive devices like 'By contrast' and 'Furthermore' are used, they are often placed in ways that do not effectively link the ideas. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of the data. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a smooth, logical development of the information provided in the chart.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. Phrases like 'people lived in rented house' and 'households in owned accommodation' are used repeatedly without variation. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'experienced large' (which is incomplete) and 'reached same position'. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The student struggles to use more sophisticated terminology to describe trends, relying on simple descriptors like 'upward trend' or 'slightly increased'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but these are often marred by grammatical errors. There are frequent issues with article usage ('in rented house'), subject-verb agreement ('households... was slightly increased'), and prepositional errors ('in 1981 to 2001'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with misplaced commas and spacing issues. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors is high enough to cause some difficulty for the reader and prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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