Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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

Overall, the percentage of households in rented accommodation was higher than that in owner-occupied accommodation in the initial four years. This pattern was completely reversed in the final four years.

The percentage of households in rented accommodation stood at around 78% in 1918, before falling to around 68% in 1939. The figure remained stable until 1953, before dropping to 59% in 1961. By contrast, the proportion of households in owned accommodation was the lowest, at approximately 22% in 1918, before rising slightly to 32% in 1939. It remained unchanged until 1953, before rising steadily to around 41% in 1961. In 1971, the proportions of households in owned and rented accommodation were equal at 50%.

The percentage of households in owner occupied accommodation rose slightly over 60% in 1981, this figure continued to increase before peaking to 70% in 2001, and then falling to 65% in 2001. However, the figure of households in rented accommodation continued to decline considerably to roughly 32% by 2001, before it recovered to around 36% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the key turning point in 1971 and correctly contrasted the inverse relationship between the two categories over the period. The data is accurately reported, and the comparison between owned and rented accommodation is well-integrated. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are precise; for instance, you mentioned 'peaking to 70% in 2001, and then falling to 65% in 2001', which is contradictory and likely a typo. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well and provides a clear summary of the information presented in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the data chronologically. You use cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'However', and 'before falling to' effectively to guide the reader through the trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different time periods. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the relationship between the two categories is clearly maintained throughout the text. The use of referencing is generally clear, contributing to the overall coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the trends accurately, using terms like 'proportion', 'remained stable', 'declining considerably', and 'recovered'. There is some awareness of collocation, such as 'owner-occupied accommodation'. However, there are minor issues with precision, such as the contradictory data points mentioned in the final paragraph. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating a few more sophisticated, less common lexical items related to data description (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'marginal', 'dramatic shift') would help elevate the score to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is never impeded. There are some minor punctuation and grammatical slips, such as the comma splice in '...in 1981, this figure continued...' and the repetition of '2001' in the final paragraph. Despite these occasional errors, your control over complex structures is generally good. To improve, focus on ensuring that your sentence boundaries are correctly marked with appropriate punctuation and that your data reporting remains consistent to avoid logical errors.

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

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