Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-02

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 bar chart illustrates a comparative data between the houses which are being rented and the house which are being purchased by the people of England and Wales between the years 1918 to 2011.

The overall percentage of houses as leased are more in percentage in starting years than the houses being owned by the people of England and Wales but in the final years of the chart the trend became totally reverse.

In 1918, 1939, 1953 and 1961 the house being rented were in the percentage 22%, 31%, 31% and 41% while the percentage of houses being bought in the same years were 78%, 69%, 69% and 59%. In 1971 the percentage of both the rented and bought houses were same at 50%. Then in 1991, 2001 and 2011 the houses bought raised significantly and reached to the percentages 60%, 69% and 63% while rented houses percentage declined on the other hand to 40%, 30%, 30% and 38% respectively

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the overall trend and providing specific data points to support the description. However, there is a significant factual error in the interpretation of the data: the student states that in 1918, 22% were rented and 78% were owned, whereas the chart shows the opposite (rented was the majority). This misreading of the data impacts the accuracy of the summary. While the overview is present, the misinterpretation of the primary data points prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure that the labels and categories are carefully mapped to the corresponding bars before writing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a report. There is a clear progression of ideas, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to specific details. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'then', and 'on the other hand' are used to link information. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of years and percentages could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall flow of the text is easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe trends and figures. Phrases like 'comparative data', 'reached to the percentages', and 'trend became totally reverse' are understandable but lack precision and natural collocation. There is some repetition of 'percentage' and 'houses'. To achieve a higher band, the student should aim for more varied vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a sharp increase', and avoid awkward phrasing like 'the houses bought raised'.

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 'the houses which are being rented and the house which are being purchased' (subject-verb agreement) and 'the trend became totally reverse' (incorrect word form). Additionally, 'the houses bought raised' is an incorrect use of the verb 'raise' (which is transitive). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of active/passive voice would significantly improve the accuracy.

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

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