Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-27

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 7.0)

The bar graph illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, rented accommodation was most popular in 1918, whereas owned accommodation was most common in 2001. However, the figure for rented accommodation declined sharply, while home ownership rose significantly.

In 1918, the proportion of households in owner-occupied accommodation stood at around 22%, rose slightly to roughly 31% in 1939, and then remained unchanged in 1953. This figure then increased steadily to nearly 41% in 1961. Meanwhile, the figure for rented accommodation fell from around 78% in 1918 to approximately 69% in 1939, before declining slightly to roughly 59% in 1961. By 1971, both figures were equal at 50%.

In 1981, the proportions of households with rented accommodation accounted to around 41%, fell gradually to nearly 32% in 2001 before it increased slightly to approximately 36% in 2011. Similarly, the percentage of households with owner-occupied accommodation amounted to roughly 61% in 1981, rose slightly to nearly 69% in 1991 before it peaked at 70% in 2001. The figure then decreased steadily to approximately 65% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively covers all parts of the task. You have identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your summary. The overview is clear and highlights the key shift from rented to owned accommodation over the period. You have successfully selected the most significant features, such as the crossover point in 1971 and the peak of ownership in 2001. The information is accurate and well-supported by the provided data, meeting the requirements for a clear and logical summary of the visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific time period, which helps the reader follow the chronological development of the data. Cohesive devices such as 'meanwhile', 'similarly', and 'before' are used effectively to link sentences and clauses. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is smooth. The structure is coherent throughout, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'declined sharply', 'rose significantly', 'increased steadily', and 'peaked'. The terminology related to the task, such as 'proportion', 'households', and 'owner-occupied', is used accurately. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the task, there is room to incorporate more sophisticated or varied synonyms to reach the highest band. The word choices are precise and contribute to the clarity of the report without any noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good control of grammatical structures. You have successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'In 1918, the proportion... stood at around 22%, rose slightly... and then remained unchanged'. There are very few errors, and those present do not impede communication. For instance, 'accounted to' is a minor collocation error (should be 'accounted for'). Overall, the sentence construction is accurate, and the punctuation is handled well, showing a high level of control over the language.

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

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