Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-25

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 compares the proportion of the modes of households namely owned and rented between 1918 and 2011 in the Britain and Wales collectively.Overall,the bar chart goes from a dramatic variation throughout the period.The households in rented houses were notably at peaks during the early years, but later on the trend of own accommodation spiked up.

In 1918,about 22% of the people preferred to live in own-hired accommodation,compared with about 78% people living in the rented homes.Then it rose gradually accounting for 31% in 1939 and 32% in 1953,before increasing to 40% in 1961.By 1971,the figures for both types of accommodation had reached approximately 50%.

After 1971,home ownership continued to increase,reaching about 60% in 1918 and peaking at approximately 68% in 1991 and 2001.Meanwhile,the percentage of rented houses fell to around 39% in 1981.31% in 1991,and 30% in 2001.By 2011,there was a slight reversal,with owned accommodation falling to roughly 62%,while rented accommodation rose to about 34%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, selecting and reporting the main features of the chart regarding owned and rented accommodation between 1918 and 2011. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting the dramatic variations and the shift from rented to owned homes over time. Key data points are cited, such as the figures for 1918 (around 22% and 78%), the point of intersection in 1971 (50%), and the peak of home ownership in 1991 and 2001. However, there are minor factual slips in data reporting, such as stating home ownership reached 60% in '1918' instead of 1981, and a few minor arithmetic or transcription discrepancies towards the end. Despite these minor errors, the response successfully presents a clear overview and relevant comparisons, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into three paragraphs, including an introduction with an overview, a body paragraph detailing the earlier decades, and a final paragraph covering the later trends up to 2011. Logical progression is generally maintained using temporal markers like 'In 1918', 'Then', 'By 1971', and 'After 1971'. However, cohesion is occasionally faulty or mechanical due to spacing and punctuation issues (e.g., missing spaces after commas and periods like 'Overall,the bar chart'). Referencing and cohesive devices are adequate but lack the flexibility and smooth flow expected at higher band levels. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'proportion', 'gradually', 'peaking', and 'reversal'. However, there are notable lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'modes of households', 'own-hired accommodation', and 'trend of own accommodation spiked up'. Word choice errors and awkward phrasing occur throughout the text (e.g., 'rented houses' used to mean households in rented accommodation). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5 or 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'accounting for 31% in 1939 and 32% in 1953, before increasing to 40% in 1961'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, notably the chronological slip ('reaching about 60% in 1918' instead of 1981), missing articles, and punctuation/spacing flaws. Nevertheless, basic sentence structures are generally clear, and errors rarely impede communication, placing the performance securely in Band 6.0.

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