Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-24
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)
This bar chat illustrates the percentage of households that lived in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.Overall, it is evident of both the household in owned accommodation were increase over the time period and the rented accommodation generally decreased.
In the one hand, In 1918 only 22 percent of household lived in own accommodation whereas 78 percent lived in rented home.The percentage of own accommodation increased around 31 percent in 1939 and remained almost unchanged at 32 percent in 1953.It then rose to about 42 percent in 1962. By 1971 the figure had reached 50 percent ,meaning that the percentage of owned and rented were equal.
After 1971 , the own accommodation continued to increase. Its rose approximately in 57 percent in 1981 and 69 percent in 1991 .The figure reached a peak of about 70 percent in 2001 and before falling slightly to 64 percent in 2011. In contrast , rented accommodation followed the opposite trend it decreased from 78 percent in 1981 to 31 percent in 2001 before its slowly increasing 38 percent in 2011.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student covers all major trends shown in the chart, reporting the overarching shift from rented to owned accommodation between 1918 and 2011. Key data points such as the starting figures, the 1971 crossover point where both tenure types stood at 50 percent, and the 2001 peak for homeownership are accurately cited. An overview is present at the beginning of the second sentence, noting the general increase in ownership and decrease in renting. However, there are minor inaccuracies in specific data reporting, such as stating rented accommodation decreased from 78 percent in 1981 (when it was actually 40 percent), which slightly detracts from precision. Overall, the task is addressed well, fulfilling the requirements for an academic summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical structure with an introduction and two body paragraphs covering the historical progression. Cohesive devices are used to signal time and contrast, such as 'In the one hand' (though lexically flawed), 'It then rose', and 'In contrast'. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the essay starts with the overview attached to the introduction in a fragmented manner, and the transition between sentences can feel slightly mechanical. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'Its rose approximately in 57 percent', where the pronoun reference and prepositional usage disrupt the flow. Progression is visible, but cohesion lacks flexibility and smoothness.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for conveying the data trends, incorporating terms like 'percentage', 'peak', 'accommodation', and 'trend'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocational errors throughout the text, such as 'bar chat' instead of 'chart', 'the household' instead of 'households', 'own accommodation' instead of 'owned accommodation', and 'increasing 38 percent' missing a preposition. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but inaccurate word choices and morphological slips ('its slowly increasing') indicate a limited range with noticeable mistakes that occasionally strain the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using temporal clauses and comparative structures (e.g., 'whereas 78 percent lived in rented home'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak. There are frequent errors in prepositions and verb forms, such as 'were increase', 'Its rose approximately in 57 percent', and missing articles ('in 1981 60 percent'). Punctuation errors are also present, including spaces before commas. While simple sentences are generally understood, complex structures often contain errors that disrupt the flow and require effort from the reader.
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