Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-20

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 7.0)

The bar chart below compares the proportion of families who owned or rented accommodation in England and Wales in 1918 to 2011.

Upon initial observation, it is evident that two types of accommodation witnessed two opposite trends over a span of 93 years, with the percentage rented ones being higher than that of those owning their homes during the first half of the period; while a contradictory pattern was observed in the last 30 years.

In 1918, families renting homes accounted for more than 75%, approximately triple that of those owning accommodation. In the next 53 years, this figure dropped dramatically to just 50%, although a period of stability had been seen between 1939 and 1953. On the contrary, the proportion of families possessing homes, which was standing at just under 25% in 1918, more than doubled over the 53-year period and thus rose to equal that of those renting homes in 1971.

In the final 30-year period, the rate of homeownership kept soaring and finally reached a peak of nearly 70% in 2001, before declining slightly by around 5% at the end of the period. Meanwhile, the rate of tenants experienced a rapid decrease to just above 30% in 2001, followed by a small growth of roughly 5% by 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by presenting a clear and accurate overview of the main trends shown in the bar chart. Key features, such as the inversion of proportions between rented and owned accommodation around 1971, are highlighted effectively. Data points are reported accurately, including the 1918 figures (approximately 75% for renting versus under 25% for owning), the 1971 convergence at 50%, and the 2001 peak of nearly 70% for homeownership alongside the subsequent 2011 shift. The response is well-supported with relevant figures, and no major data is omitted or misread. This satisfies the Band 8 descriptor for Task Achievement by covering all parts well and selecting key features effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from an introductory overview to detailed body paragraphs tracking chronological shifts. Paragraphing is used appropriately, separating the first half of the timeframe from the final 30-year period. Cohesive devices are managed well, using transition phrases such as 'Upon initial observation', 'In the next 53 years', 'On the contrary', and 'Meanwhile' to guide the reader smoothly through the data comparisons. Referencing is clear throughout. Although cohesion is slightly formulaic in places, it meets the standard for a Band 7 or 8; given the natural flow and clear paragraph structure, a strong band 7.5 is well-deserved.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to academic reporting. Appropriate lexical items and collocations are used, such as 'proportion', 'witnessed two opposite trends', 'dropped dramatically', 'stability', 'soaring', and 'rapid decrease'. There is a good attempt to vary language to avoid repetition, swapping between 'families renting homes', 'tenants', 'families possessing homes', and 'homeownership'. Minor lexical infelicities occur, such as 'the percentage rented ones' and 'the rate of tenants', but these do not impede communication. This aligns comfortably with the Band 7 descriptors for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

A good variety of complex structures is employed throughout the response, including relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'which was standing at just under 25% in 1918, more than doubled'). The majority of sentences are grammatically accurate, and punctuation is handled well. There are occasional awkward phrasings or slight prepositional slips, such as 'in 1918 to 2011' in the opening sentence (which should ideally be 'from 1918 to 2011'), but these are minor and non-systematic. Control over grammar and tense consistency is strong, warranting a Band 7.5 score.

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