Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-24

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 rate of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, it can be seen that the rate of rented households was higher while the rate of owned households was lower in the same year. In another year, the rate of owned households was higher while the rate of rented households was lower.

In 1918, the rate of rented households was much higher than others, at 77%. This rate remained similar from 1939 to 1953, at 68%. The rate then consistently decreased from 1961 to 2001, with values of 59%, 50%, 40%, 32%, and 31%. In 2011, this rate slightly increased and reached almost 36%.

In 1918, the rate of owned households was very low, at 22%. In 1939 and 1953, these rates were similar, at 32%. In 1961, this rate increased to 40%. By 1971, the rates for owned and rented households were the same, at 50%. From 1981 to 2001, the rate of owned households increased, with values of 60%, 68%, and 69%. On the other hand, this rate decreased to 64%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the chart well, identifying the key trends and the point of intersection in 1971. The overview is present, though it is somewhat vague; instead of saying 'in another year', it would be more effective to specify the trend shift. The data is generally accurate, and the report is well-structured to highlight the inverse relationship between owned and rented accommodation. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview provides a clearer summary of the overall trend rather than just stating that rates changed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with clear paragraphing separating the two categories. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving chronologically through the data. Cohesive devices such as 'In 1918', 'The rate then', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to link sentences. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly repetitive in their structure, which prevents the flow from being truly sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of the data. You use terms like 'consistently decreased' and 'reached almost' appropriately. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying heavily on the word 'rate' throughout the text. To improve, you should incorporate a wider variety of synonyms for 'rate', 'percentage', and 'proportion', and use more precise verbs to describe the movement of the data, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'remained stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that the meaning is never obscured. There are some minor issues with phrasing, such as 'the rate of rented households was higher while the rate of owned households was lower in the same year', which is slightly awkward. While you have good control over basic grammar, there is a lack of more sophisticated complex structures that would be expected at a higher band level.

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

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