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 given representation demonstrates the percentage of owned and rented household accommodation in England in the period of 1918 to 2011.
To begin with the year 1918, there were 23% of owned houses and 77% of rentals. Whereas in the year 1939 amount of owned houses increased to 32% and rentals decreased to 79%. Moving to the year 1953, both accommodation remained constant at the same percentage as 1939. 41% was of owned houses and rentals were at 59% in year 1961.
Moving further, in the year 1981, a huge change can be seen where owned accommodations had a higher percentage than rented ones at 60% and 40%, respectively. In year 1991 and 2001, there was a little change of 1% in both years, the rented ones were 32%, 31% and owned ones had 68%, 69% in year 1991 and 2001, respectively. Whereas in year 2011 rented ones had 36% and owned ones had 64%.
At last, surprisingly both owned and rentals were at 50% in year 1971.
Overall, households in owned accommodation increased and households in rented accommodation decreased during the time period.
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 trends and provides data points to support the description. However, the reporting of data is inconsistent and contains factual errors. For instance, you state that in 1939, rentals decreased to 79%, which is mathematically incorrect based on the 32% ownership figure. Furthermore, the chronological flow is disrupted by placing the 1971 data at the end of the body paragraphs, which hinders the logical presentation of the timeline. To improve, ensure all data points are accurate and presented in a clear, chronological order to help the reader follow the historical progression of the trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moving further', and 'At last'. While these help to signal transitions, the paragraphing is fragmented, with some paragraphs consisting of only one or two sentences. The placement of the 1971 data at the end of the response creates a disjointed feel, as it breaks the chronological sequence established in the earlier paragraphs. Improving the logical grouping of information—perhaps by grouping decades with similar trends—would enhance the overall flow and coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'accommodation', 'percentage', and 'remained constant'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are also minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'amount of owned houses' (where 'proportion' or 'percentage' would be more precise) and 'little change of 1%'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and use more precise collocations when describing statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'both accommodation remained constant' (should be plural 'accommodations') and '41% was of owned houses' (awkward phrasing). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'in year 1961' (should be 'in the year 1961' or just 'in 1961'). While these errors do not typically impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent article usage will improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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