Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-16
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 percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.
Overall, it is evident that there was a steady rise in the percentage of households who lived in the owned accommodation and gradual decrease in the percentage of people who rented throughout the period. Also, the percentage of households lived in owned and rented accommodations was matched at same point in 1971.
In 1918, the percentage of households who lived in their own accomodations was just above 20% whereas, those who rented were slightly below 80%. In 1971, the percentage of both households who lived in owned accommodations and those who lived in rented accomodation was 50%.
In 1981, the percentage of individuals who lived in owned houses fell to 40% while those who rented reached 60%. In 2011, there was a slight decline in the percentage of people who lived in rented accommodation, at just above 60% and those who owned accommodations were recorded at above 45%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the chart well, identifying the overall upward trend in homeownership and the corresponding decline in renting, alongside the intersection point in 1971. An overview is present in the second paragraph. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the body paragraphs regarding the data. For instance, the student states that in 1981 individuals in owned houses fell to 40% while those who rented reached 60%, whereas the chart shows the exact opposite (60% owned and 40% rented). Similarly, the data cited for 2011 is reversed and incorrect (stating rented was at just above 60% and owned at 45%, when in reality owned was 64% and rented was 36%). These severe data misinterpretations prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure, opening with an introductory statement, followed by an overview paragraph, and then breaking down specific years into separate paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1918', and 'In 1981' are used to guide the reader through the data chronologically. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic and the mechanical reversal of data points disrupts the logical flow of information. Referencing is generally clear, but the errors in data reporting mean that the progression of ideas is occasionally difficult to follow in relation to the visual prompt.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, such as 'percentage of households', 'steady rise', 'gradual decrease', and 'decline'. However, there are notable lexical and spelling errors, such as 'owned the accommodation' (awkward phrasing) and 'accomodations' (misspelled twice as 'accomodations'). Less common vocabulary is attempted ('individuals', 'matched at same point'), but imprecise word choices and factual errors limit the precision and flexibility of the lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses such as 'households who lived in owned accommodation'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including 'households lived in' instead of 'households living in', 'matched at same point' instead of 'met at the same point', and 'accommodations was matched'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor grammatical inaccuracies mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority, placing this performance solidly in Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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