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 bar chart illustrates the proportion of households that either owned or rented their accommodation in England Wales over a 93- year old from 1918 to 2011. Overall, this picture clearly shows how much people have their own houses and how many people are living in rented accommodation. This bar graph shows the trends of the households which are owned and rented. It can be seen that rented accommodation was high upto 80 percent in 1918. At, the same time in 1918 the owned accommodation was very low upto 22 percent. It can be seen in the bar graph that from 1939 to 1953 there was stability in the trend for both rented accommodation and for owned house accommodation. In, 1971 both rented and owned accommodation was at the same point. After, 1971 in 1981 there was fluctuation in the trends the owned household accommodation was high in last few years from 1981 to 2011 and rented accommodation was decreased in last few years in England and Wales.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response provides a general overview and identifies some key trends, such as the high level of rented accommodation in 1918 and the convergence in 1971. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear, analytical summary of the most significant changes. The description of the trends is repetitive and lacks precision; for example, stating there was 'stability' between 1939 and 1953 is a good observation, but the overall report fails to highlight the dramatic shift in the later years effectively. To improve, you should focus on grouping data more logically and ensuring that the most striking features of the graph are clearly highlighted rather than just listing data points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While there is a basic attempt at logical sequencing, the lack of paragraphing is a significant weakness. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or incorrectly punctuated, such as 'At, the same time' and 'In, 1971'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences feels disjointed. To reach a higher band, you must use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, and ensure that linking words are used naturally and accurately.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'it can be seen' are used multiple times, which limits the range of your writing. There are also some awkward collocations, such as '93-year old' (instead of '93-year period') and 'owned house accommodation'. You have attempted to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase', 'decrease', and 'fluctuate', and focus on using more precise terminology to describe the data trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar that occasionally impede the flow. For instance, the unnecessary commas in 'At, the same time' and 'In, 1971' disrupt the reading. There are also issues with article usage and preposition choice, such as 'in last few years'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence structure and punctuation before attempting more complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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