Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-05
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 information about the percentage of households in owning and renting accomodation in two different location England and wales between 1918 and 2011.
Overall, households in rented accomodation experienced a signigicant decrease in proportion throughout the period. Although residents living in owned households percentage experienced considerable growth and dominated by reaching at the end of the period.
In 1918, people had the highest percentage nearly 78% living in rented accommodation. These porportion reduced modestly to nearly 68% in 1939 and remained stable still 1961. However by 1971 it reached at the same percentage of residents living in owned house, it reduced to 40% in 1991 and had fall to nearly 30% and remained same till 2001 before getting considerable growth to around 35% by 2011.
Resident living in rented house had the lowest percentage with nearly 20% in 1918, then experienced a noticable growth in 1939 and remained unchanged by 1953 before climibing to 40% in 1961 and touch the same peak of households in rented accomodation by 19721. Overtake the rented house with proportion fewer then 70% in 1981 to 2001 after fall slightly it still remain dominant in 2011 with 65%.
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 overall trends and key data points. You successfully identified the shift from renting to owning and highlighted the crossover point. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting, such as the mention of '19721' and some confusion in the final paragraph regarding the percentages for owned versus rented accommodation. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference the data points with the chart to avoid misinterpretation. The overview is clear, but the supporting details need more precision to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'Although', 'However', and 'In 1918', which help the flow of information. However, the progression within the final paragraph is slightly confusing due to the mix-up between the categories of owned and rented housing. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow which category is being discussed at certain points. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring consistent subject reference would enhance the coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'considerable growth', and 'dominated'. However, there are several spelling errors ('signigicant', 'accomodation', 'climibing', 'porportion') and some awkward word choices, such as 'dominated by reaching at the end'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and more precise collocations, such as 'the proportion of households' rather than 'residents living in owned households percentage'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'dominated by reaching at the end', 'it reduced to 40%', and 'Resident living in rented house had the lowest percentage'. Additionally, there are issues with verb tense consistency and subject-verb agreement. While these errors are frequent, they rarely impede communication. To improve, focus on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors in tense and pluralization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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