Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-28

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 5.0)

The chart below illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented accommodation inEnglish and Wales between 1918 and 2011. Overall, the proportion of households in owned accommodation accounted highest number in beginning of the period. By contrast, the proportion of households in rented accommodation had highest number in end of the period. Regarding the percentage of owned, the percentage started around 80 in 1918. Subsequently, the percentage continued to decrease from around 80 in 1918 to approximately 30 in 2001. After that, the proportion slightly rose at around 40. As for the percentage of households in rented, the number started at around 20 in 1918. After that, the number slightly increased at approximately 30. And the number leveled-off in 1939 to 1953. Subsequently, the number dramatically rose between around 30 in 1953 and approximately 70 in 2001. After that, the figure slightly decline from around 70 in 2001 to approximately 60 in2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the trends for both owned and rented accommodation. However, there is a significant factual error in the overview: the student states that owned accommodation was the highest at the beginning, but the chart shows rented was higher in 1918. Furthermore, the description of the trends is somewhat mechanical, listing figures without fully synthesizing the data or highlighting the most significant crossover points effectively. While all parts of the task are addressed, the lack of accuracy in the overview and the repetitive nature of the data reporting limit the development of the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into a brief introduction and a body paragraph, but it lacks a clear paragraph structure to separate the two categories or time periods. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'By contrast', 'Subsequently', and 'After that', but they are used repetitively and mechanically. The flow of information is somewhat disjointed because the transition between the two categories is not managed smoothly. Paragraphing is insufficient, as the entire analysis is compressed into one block, which hinders the logical progression of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. The student relies heavily on simple phrases like 'the number' and 'the percentage'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'accounted highest number' instead of 'accounted for the highest proportion'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use more sophisticated or varied terminology to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'remained stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include missing articles ('in beginning of the period'), incorrect prepositions ('rose at around 40' instead of 'rose to around 40'), and tense inconsistencies. Some sentences are grammatically incomplete or awkward, such as 'the proportion slightly rose at around 40'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures.

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