Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-27

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 5.0)

The bar graph illustrates the proportion of household compared in percentage of rented accommodation and owned properties in England and Wales between 1918 to 2011.

Overall, it can be noticed the rented household proportion was the highest in the began. Whereas, the owned accommodation was the lowest households. However, personal households were significantly increased over the period, while the rented house shows the decline. In addition, both households had the same proportion in the middle of the year.

Initially, the personal houses owner were stood at above 20% in the year 1918. Additionally, it increased sharply by the year 1961 at around 40%. Meanwhile, the rented household apartments had almost reached at 80% in the began. Which was most significant rented householders as compared to owned accommodation. Moreover, it decreased in next two years and stood at around 60% in the year 1961, still it was the highest compared to owned properties.

In the 1971, both households owned and rented accommodation had the same figure exactly 50%. In addition, the figure for rented apartment was dropped by the next four years accounted at 50% to around 35%. Whereas, the owned accommodation was rose up at above 60% in the year 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student attempts to address the prompt by describing the main trends and data points from the chart regarding households in owned and rented accommodation between 1918 and 2011. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, noting the general shift from renting to owning and the point of intersection. However, there are numerous inaccuracies in data reporting. For example, the student states that in 1918 rented accommodation was 'almost reached at 80%' (which is roughly correct at 77%), but refers to owned accommodation as the lowest households standing at 'above 20%' (23%). More importantly, the description of the 1971 crossover and subsequent years contains confusion regarding the figures (stating rented dropped from 50% to 35% in 'the next four years', whereas 1971 to 2011 is forty years). The response covers all parts of the task broadly, but the lack of precision and some underdeveloped data comparisons prevent it from reaching a higher band. This corresponds to a Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into four paragraphs, showing a clear attempt at structuring an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions, repetitive phrasing, and unclear referencing. For instance, expressions like 'in the began' and 'in the middle of the year' create confusion. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as 'Additionally', 'Meanwhile', and 'Moreover'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs is weak due to disjointed sentence structures. The overall arrangement provides a general framework of the data, but the lack of smooth progression and precise logical connectors places it at a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary with frequent errors in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'personal households', 'personal houses owner', 'rented household apartments', and 'rented householders'. There are also basic spelling and morphological errors, such as 'began' instead of 'beginning', 'rose up' instead of 'rose', and awkward phrasing like 'the rented house shows the decline'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic topic of housing types and percentages, the persistent inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and flawed attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the rented house shows', 'houses owner were stood'), incorrect prepositional usage ('in the began', 'in the next two years'), and tense confusion. Many sentences are structurally awkward or incomplete, such as 'Which was most significant rented householders as compared to owned accommodation.' Although the meaning can generally be inferred, the high frequency of errors and lack of control over complex structures place this at a Band 5.0.

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