Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-29

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 graph illustrates the percentage of households in rented and owned homes in England and Wales from 1918 till 2011.

Overall, during 1918 the rented accommodations showed higher number of people living together which gradually dropped till 2011. Contrarily, the households in owned accommodations increased smoothly from 1918 till it touched the maximum during twenties.

In 1918, the rented apartments had the maximum number of people living together which is more than 75 percent which dropped to 30 percent by 2001. But the households living in the owned accommodation was around 22 percent in 1918 which kept on increasing slowly until 2001 when it reached the top recording around 70 percent. While in 1971, both the rented and owned houses showed the same percentage staying on 50 percent.

The trend of living together in rented accommodations dropped gradually after 1918 but it stayed firm from 1939 till 1953. After 1953 it lowered again in 1961 and 1971 when it reached 50%. It kept on decreasing gradually until 2001 when it reached around 31 percent but it showed progress again in 2011 when it increased from 31% to 36%. The percentage of households in owned apartments stayed same from 1991 till 2001 which is around 68 to 69% but it dropped in 2011 to reaching 65% but still it is more than the rented apartments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart well, identifying the key trends for both owned and rented accommodation. You successfully highlighted the crossover point in 1971 and the general inverse relationship between the two categories. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; you mentioned the owned accommodation reached its maximum in the 'twenties', which is not supported by the data, as the peak occurred much later. Additionally, some data points are slightly imprecise (e.g., describing 1918 as having 'maximum number of people living together' is a misinterpretation of percentage data). To reach a higher band, ensure your overview focuses on the most significant trends rather than specific dates, and double-check your data interpretation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Contrarily', 'While', and 'After 1953' to guide the reader through the timeline. However, the progression within paragraphs is occasionally repetitive, and some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal flow could be improved by varying the sentence structure to avoid starting multiple sentences with 'It' or 'The'. Overall, the information is easy to follow, and the logical progression is maintained throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accommodations', 'gradually', 'decreased', and 'reached the top'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'staying on 50 percent' or 'stayed firm', which are slightly unnatural in this context. You also repeat 'living together' and 'accommodations' frequently. To improve, try to use more precise synonyms for trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'plateaued', or 'remained stable', and avoid repeating the same nouns. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'during 1918 the rented accommodations showed higher number' (missing articles) and 'it dropped in 2011 to reaching 65%' (incorrect verb form). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on article usage and ensuring consistent verb tenses when describing historical data will help improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.