Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-21
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 below shows the household accommodation in England and Wales owning and renting between 1918 and 2011.
Overall, rented household had the highest percentage of the people in England and Wales from 1918 to 1961 after that owned households are than became the more popular from 1981 to 2011.
At first, the popularity of the rented houshold in the year 1918 was approximately 80%, then in 1939 it slightly came down to 69%, but it remain as same as in 1939 at 69% in 1953. In 1971, the percentage of the rented household came down at 50%, and both owned and rented household became same in the year 1971. Then after one decade the percentage of the rented household dropping sharply in the year 2001 get down to its lower level 30% before finishing at approx 35% in 2011.
The percentage of the owning household started with the lower level with just 23% in 1918, then it rose to 30% in 1939, then it remain same in 1953, but it increases to approx 40% in 1961. In 1971 it reached to the same level as rented one at 50%. and finshing at the 65% in the year 2011.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, selecting and reporting the main features of the chart. An overview is provided, noting that rented accommodation was dominant initially before being overtaken by homeownership. Key data points are cited, such as the 1971 crossover point where both tenure types reached 50%. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and misreadings compared to the factual reference; for example, the student states that rented accommodation in 1918 was approximately 80% (actual is 77%), and claims it remained the same at 69% in 1953 (actual is 68%). Furthermore, 2001 is misstated as the lowest level for renting, and 2011 is given as 35% instead of 36%. Despite these minor numerical slips, the main trends and comparisons are successfully reported, earning a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing separately on rented and owned accommodation. Ideas generally follow a chronological progression, and cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'then', and 'In 1971' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitional phrases like 'after that owned households are than became the more popular'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences can be clunky. Overall, the arrangement is coherent enough to earn a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing terms related to housing and statistics, such as 'percentage', 'popularity', 'rose', and 'dropping sharply'. However, there are noticeable lexical and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'the owning household' instead of 'households in owned accommodation', 'get down to its lower level' instead of 'lowest level', and repetitive use of basic verbs. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing clauses connected by words like 'when', 'while', and coordinating conjunctions. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples include 'rented household had', 'owned households are than became', 'it remain as same', and 'the percentage of the rented household dropping sharply'. Punctuation is also occasionally problematic, such as fragments like 'and finshing at the 65%'. These persistent errors place the grammar score at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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