Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-19

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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the percentages of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, the proportion of housholds in owned accommodation increased significantly till 2001. However, the share of the people living in rented homes decreased until 2001. the housholds in rented accommodation accounted for the highest percentage in 1918, whereas housholds in owned accommodation recorded the largest share in 2001.

In 1918, people living in rented house accounted for around 77%, which is the largest among the period surveyed. Additionally, this figure decresed to almost 68% in 1939 and remained unchanged in 1953. Moreover, the share then fell to approximately 59% in 1961 before reaching 50% in 1971. In 1971, the share of both the categories remained equal. However, the proportion then reached at 40% in 1981 before falling to around 32% in 1991. The share again fell slightly to 31% in 2001 before increasing to around 36% in 2011.

On the other hand, housholds in owned accommodation accounted for only 22% in 1918, which is the lowest across the years. This figure stood at around 32% in 1939 and remained stable in 1953. The share then rose to 40.5% in 1961 before reaching 50% in 1971. This percentage increased significantly to 60% in 1981 and approximately 68% in 1991. This figure peaked at almost 69% in 2001 before falling to around 64% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student successfully covers all main features of the chart, reporting data for both owned and rented accommodation across the specified years from 1918 to 2011. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the contrasting long-term trends and the crossover point where ownership surpassed renting. Key figures such as the 1918 peak for rented homes (around 77%) and the 2001 peak for owned homes (around 69%) are accurately cited and compared. The data is handled well without missing major shifts, although there is a minor typo in the initial figure for owned accommodation in 1918 (written as 22% instead of 23%), which is well within acceptable tolerance for approximate reading. The task is fully and effectively addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two detailed body paragraphs dedicated to rented and owned housing respectively. Progression is clear throughout, guiding the reader smoothly from 1918 through to 2011. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand' are used appropriately to signal relationships between ideas and data points. Paragraphing is logical and functional. The only minor distraction is a lowercase sentence start in the second paragraph ('the housholds in rented accommodation...'), but overall the organisational structure is strong and coherent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and precise enough to describe graphical data, utilizing terms such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'share', 'accounted for', 'increased significantly', 'remained stable', and 'peaked'. There are a few recurring spelling errors, such as 'housholds' instead of 'households' and 'decresed' instead of 'decreased', which prevent a higher band score. However, these errors do not impede communication. The student attempts less common phrases like 'largest among the period surveyed' and successfully employs functional vocabulary appropriate for Task 1 reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and time markers effectively (e.g., 'before reaching 50% in 1971' and 'which is the largest among the period surveyed'). Grammatical control is generally sound, with a majority of error-free sentences. Minor errors include the tense shift or preposition slip in 'the proportion then reached at 40% in 1981' (where 'reached' does not take 'at') and minor punctuation/capitalisation slips. These errors occur infrequently and do not obscure meaning, reflecting solid control of grammar.

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