Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-31
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 5.5)
The bar chart depicts the proportion of households ownership and who rented accommodation in England and Wales throughout the period of 93 years commencing from 1918 to 2011.
Overall, renting accommodation was initially the highest percentage, it was overtaken by owing accommodation by the end of the period. Also, the figures of renting and households were remained at same level in the middle of the years.
To begin with, the numbers for rented accommodation stood first around 75%, while owing it had the least figures which is around 20% in 1918. After 30 years, the renting and owing saw a similar trend of percentages, with the former one had a remarkable decline and the latter had a incline trend at 68% and 31% respectively. As this trend followed unchanged level in 1953.
There was a dramatic growth is seen in owing household from 1961 to 1981, before it was the same as renting, which decline steadily throughtout the last years. However, owing reached at its peak level of its accommodation at nearly 70% in 2001.After that, it witnessed a 5% decrease at the end of the year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, including the initial high percentage of rented accommodation and the eventual dominance of owned accommodation. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the description of the trends in the middle of the period is confusing, particularly the claim that figures remained at the same level in 1953, which is not clearly supported by the data. While the key trends are identified, the reporting of specific data points is occasionally imprecise, and the overall summary lacks a clear, cohesive synthesis of the data's trajectory. To improve, ensure that comparisons are more accurate and that the overview clearly highlights the most significant shifts over the entire period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'To begin with' and 'After that' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'the figures of renting and households were remained at same level'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult to track which category is being discussed. Improving the variety and precision of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'owing' instead of 'owned' or 'ownership', and 'incline trend' instead of 'upward trend'. The repetition of basic terms like 'figures' and 'levels' limits the sophistication of the writing. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of control over collocations and word forms prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and nouns related to data trends would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'the figures of renting and households were remained at same level' (passive voice error) and 'there was a dramatic growth is seen' (redundant verb structure). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are also inconsistent. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for verb tense consistency would help improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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