Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 compares the percentage of households in owned accommodation and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, in a year when families living in rented accommodation has the highest percentage, the families living in their own house has the lowest. Similarly, in another year when the number of families living in their own house was highest, the ones living in rented accommodation was the lowest. There was a time when both types of accommodation has the same percentage.

From 1928 to 1961, the percentage of rented households were the highest, with 78% in 1918, 69% in 1939 and 1953, and 59% in 1961. As time passed, number of rented households decreased and the number of owned households gradually increased. From 1981 to 2011, owned households showed dominant in both countries, with 60% in 1981, 68% in 1991, 69% in 2001, and 64% in 2011.

In 1971, both rented and owned households remained similar, with 50% each respectively. Before 1971, rented households were dominated in both countries, whereas after 1971 it becomes totally opposite.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all parts of the task well by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons between owned and rented accommodation from 1918 to 2011. The overview section highlights the main features accurately, such as the inversion in popularity between the two housing types over the century. Key data points are selected and reported, including specific percentages like 78% in 1918 and 69% in 2001. However, the first body paragraph contains some factual inaccuracies regarding the timeline, stating that rented households were highest from 1928 to 1961 while citing 1918, and slightly misinterpreting data details. Despite these minor lapses, the main features are adequately reported and supported with data, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Information is generally ordered chronologically, and basic cohesive devices such as 'From 1928 to 1961', 'As time passed', and 'In 1971' are used to guide the reader through the data. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the overview paragraph is unusually repetitive and abstract, and cohesion can feel mechanical. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the awkward phrasing 'families living in a year when...', which detracts from the smooth progression of ideas. Nevertheless, the progression of information remains understandable throughout, justifying a score of 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully utilizing topic-specific terminology such as 'percentage of households', 'owned accommodation', 'rented accommodation', and 'trend-related terms'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are sometimes accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'owned households showed dominant' instead of 'owner-occupied housing was dominant'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. This performance aligns comfortably with the descriptors for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and temporal adverbials. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and prepositional use, such as 'families living in rented accommodation has' and 'percentage of rented households were'. There are also awkward passive/active constructions like 'rented households were dominated in both countries' instead of 'renting dominated'. While these errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, they rarely impede overall communication, ensuring the response meets the criteria for Band 5.5.

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

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