Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-22

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 graph presents the percentages of households living in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, in 1918, the percentage of households living in rented accommodation was very high compared to the other years. Furthermore, in 2001, the percentage of households living in owned accommodation was the highest.

In 1918, the percentage of households living in rented accommodation was 77%, followed by 68% in both 1939 and 1953. Furthermore, in 1961, the percentage was 59%. From 1971 to 2001, the percentage decreased slightly, from around 50% to 31%. However, in 2011, the figure increased to approximately 37%.

On the other hand, in 1918, the percentage of households living in owned accommodation was just 22%. This figure increased to 32% in both 1939 and 1953. Furthermore, in 1961, the percentage was 41%. From 1971 to 2001, the percentage rose steadily, from around 50% to 69%. However, in 2011, the figure decreased to approximately 63%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, successfully reporting the main trends and making appropriate comparisons between owned and rented accommodation over the 1918 to 2011 period. The overview correctly highlights the initial dominance of rented accommodation and the ultimate peak of homeownership in 2001. Key data points, such as the 77% figure for rented homes in 1918 and the 69% peak for owned homes in 2001, are accurately cited from the chart. The response is fully grounded in the provided visual data, showing clear selection and reporting of major features without any noticeable omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overarching progression. It begins with a standard introduction and overview paragraph, followed by well-structured body paragraphs dedicated separately to rented and owned accommodation. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'From 1971 to 2001', and 'However' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data and contrast trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information, ensuring the text is easy to follow and coherent overall.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'percentages', 'households', 'accommodation', 'decreased', and 'rose steadily'. While the lexical range is somewhat standard and lacks truly sophisticated or uncommon items, it is entirely functional and accurate for describing statistical trends. Word choice and collocations are natural, and there are no spelling or lexical errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writer employs a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The bar graph presents the percentages of households living in owned and rented accommodation...' and 'From 1971 to 2001, the percentage decreased slightly, from around 50% to 31%.' Grammatical accuracy is very high, with the vast majority of sentences being completely error-free. Punctuation is handled well throughout, and minor slips are virtually non-existent, demonstrating a strong command of English grammar for task writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.