Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-14

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 statistics illustrate the percentage of households that were own accommodation and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, what stands out from the charts is that the percent of households that are chartered accommodation witnessed an upward trend every year while households in owned housing underwent new evolution.

In 2001, the number of families that had their own house reached the highest figure in the chart, with nearly 80 percent. Besides, the percentage of households with rental housing was also the highest figure in 1918. In contrast, the 20 percent family owned household ranked at the bottom of the list at the first of the period while the percent of households in rented accommodation hit a trough of the line graphs.

Thereafter, the proportions of households in owned accommodation not only witnessed a dramatic increase by 10 percent but also remained stable between 1918 and 1939 before attaining 40 percent in the next year. From 1971 to 2001, the households in England and Wales lived in owned accommodation experienced a significant surge of nearly 20 percent and still keep the percentage the same in 2001. In terms of families who rent houses, were plunged from 75 percent to virtually 35 percent from 1918 to 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, presenting an overview and detailing the trends for owned and rented accommodation between 1918 and 2011. However, some data points are inaccurate or poorly communicated, such as stating that owned housing reached its highest figure in 2001 with 'nearly 80 percent' (it was actually around 69% in 2001, while 2001 was a peak, 1991 was actually higher). Furthermore, the comparison between categories lacks precision in places. The response addresses the prompt and identifies key trends such as the upward trend in homeownership and the corresponding decline in renting, but the misinterpretation of specific figures prevents it from achieving a higher band. Overall, it satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overarching structure with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs that attempt to sequence data chronologically. However, logical progression is frequently hindered by awkward referencing and mechanical cohesive devices. Phrases like 'Besides,' and 'Thereafter,' are used rather clumsily to link sentences, and paragraph breaks do not always group related ideas effectively. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'at the first of the period' and 'in the next year'. While the response is coherent overall and uses paragraphs, the misuse of cohesive devices and occasional lack of clear progression keep it at a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to data reporting, including 'upward trend', 'dramatic increase', 'significant surge', and 'hit a trough'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocational errors throughout the text, such as 'own accommodation' instead of 'owned accommodation', 'chartered accommodation' instead of 'rented accommodation', and 'new evolution' which is unnatural. Other awkward expressions like '20 percent family owned household' and 'plunged from 75 percent to virtually 35 percent' show limited precision in word choice. While the range is adequate to convey the general meaning, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies places it firmly at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as 'not only witnessed a dramatic increase... but also remained stable'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb forms, voice, and prepositions. Examples include 'the percent of households that are chartered accommodation witnessed' (tense agreement), 'the households in England and Wales lived in owned accommodation experienced' (missing relative pronoun/participle), and 'families who rent houses, were plunged' (unnecessary comma and passive misuse). These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, matching the profile for a Band 5.0.

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

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