Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-04
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 graph compares the percentage of homeowners and renters in England and Wales over 93 year period starting in 1918.
Overall, renting was by far the most common housing option at the beginning of the period, but homeownership experienced steady graft and became the dominating choice for housing. However, the trend partially reverse , in the final year , which recorded a slightly increased in renter and small drop on homeowners.
To begin with , the year 1918 the renting was the most preferable choice of the individuals at around 75% and still remain on leading one in 1939 and 1953 at 65%. Whereas homeowners contribute to only 25% in beginning years and climbing high figures. Furthermore, in 1971 both housing remain at same figure at 50% which was roughly half of the total percentage.
On other hand , in 1981 homeowner ratio gets increased at 60% and gradually becoming most preferable choices of people. Furthermore, in 1991 and 2001 the figure remain roughly same at 68% and consistely dominating the market. Moreover, in 2011 it observed that renting again gaining its shares at 48% and houseowner experiencing a decline in market share which drop at 62%.
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 successfully identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview of the data. You have highlighted the key shift from renting to homeownership and noted the reversal in the final period. However, the report could be improved by ensuring all data points are accurate; for instance, you mention 1939 and 1953 at 65%, but the chart shows different values for these years. Additionally, some descriptions are slightly imprecise, such as 'climbing high figures'. To reach a higher band, ensure that data reporting is precise and that the overview clearly synthesizes the most significant changes across the entire period.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'On other hand' to link ideas. However, some transitions are used mechanically, and there are occasional issues with referencing and flow. For example, 'the year 1918 the renting was' lacks a preposition, and 'both housing remain at same figure' is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall flow and coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'homeowners', 'renters', 'dominating', and 'market share'. However, there are several word-choice errors and non-standard collocations, such as 'steady graft' (likely meant 'growth'), 'increased in renter' (should be 'increase in renters'), and 'houseowner' (should be 'homeowners'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your report. To improve, focus on using accurate terminology for data trends and ensure that your word forms (nouns vs. verbs) are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the year 1918'), subject-verb agreement ('the figure remain'), and tense consistency ('it observed that'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding your point, they are frequent enough to keep the score in the 6.0 range. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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