Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The given illustration is a bar graph that compares the proportion between private and rented housing in the two countries: England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.
Overall, the percentage of household in rented accomodation increases while the proportion of households in owned accomodation decreases over the span of given period. Interestingly, the percentages became similar for both housing in the middle year.
On the one hand, there were least number of people who owned house in 1918 comprising of about 22% of total household. In the subsequent years, the pecentage increased gradually and peaked at just under 70% in 2001. In the final year, the percentage settled at approximately 63%.
On the other hand, the highest proportion of about 78% of the population was occupied by rented accomodation in 1918. Then the proportion depicted gradual fall over the subsequent periods, before reaching the drought at 31% in 2001. In 2001, the proportion increased slightly by 5% and remained at almost 36%. Furthermore, household owning and renting accomodation became equal in 1971; each holding half of the shares of the housing.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, noting the overall trends for owned and rented accommodation between 1918 and 2011. However, the summary contains several factual errors and data misinterpretations. For example, the overview states that rented accommodation increases while owned accommodation decreases, which is precisely the opposite of the actual long-term trend shown in the chart. Furthermore, in the body paragraphs, the student reverses the trends, claiming that rented accommodation reached a 'drought at 31% in 2001' and then increased by 5%, whereas 31% was actually the low point for rented housing, and owned housing reached its peak of around 69% in 2001. Due to these significant data reversals, the response falls into Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for each category. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In the subsequent years' are used to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall arrangement is coherent despite the underlying data errors. However, referencing is occasionally confusing due to the reversed trends, placing this criterion at Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'proportion', 'gradually', 'peaked', and 'fluctuated' (though 'depicted gradual fall' is slightly unnatural). There are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'accomodation' (repeatedly misspelled with one 'm'), 'household' instead of 'households', and the misuse of 'drought' to mean a low point. These lexical slips and spelling inaccuracies limit the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'While the percentage of household in rented accomodation increases...' and 'In the final year, the percentage settled at approximately 63%.' There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('percentage of household... increases', 'there were least number of people'), missing plural forms, and awkward phrasing. However, these errors do not severely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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