Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-23

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 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households owning and renting accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, there was a significant shift of households from renting to owning in the last 93 years. In the first 43 years, renting was on top, but in one period (1971), both were in equal proportion.

In 1918, renting households surpassed owning by a huge margin of around 50%. The figures in 1939 and 1953 remained similar because owing was at 30% and renting at around 70%. In 1961, the figures for renting and owning were around 60% and around 40%, respectively, as compared to 1971, where the figures for both were the same at 50%.

In contrast, from 1981 the trend changed, and owning increased significantly. The figures for 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 in terms of owning were 60, around 70, around 70, and around 60%, respectively. The proportions for 1981, 1991, 1981,1991,2001 and 2011 for renting accommodation were 40%, around 30%, around 30%, and around 35%,respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the chart, including the overall trend and specific data points. You successfully identified the crossover point in 1971 and contrasted the early dominance of renting with the later rise of home ownership. However, the report could be improved by grouping the data more effectively; for instance, the list of years in the final paragraph is slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more analytical rather than just listing figures. For example, instead of just stating the percentages for 1981-2011, you could highlight the relative stability of ownership rates during that period compared to the earlier decades.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving chronologically through the data. You use some cohesive devices like 'In contrast' and 'Overall' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and there is a minor issue with repetition in the final paragraph where you list the years twice. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing is precise would help the flow of the text feel more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, using terms like 'proportion', 'surpassed', and 'significant shift'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'owing' instead of 'owning' and 'on top' which is slightly informal for an academic report. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to data trends, such as 'peaked at', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a decline'. The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as the error in 'owing' and the slightly awkward phrasing in 'the figures for 1981, 1991, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011'. Punctuation is generally handled well, but there are minor inconsistencies in how you present the data lists. To achieve a higher score, focus on reducing these small errors and incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or participle phrases to describe the trends more fluidly.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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