Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-03

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 bar chart illustrates the data about the proportion of owned houses or rented accommodation houses in England and Wales in the years 1918 to 2011.

Overall, in 1918 the percentage of was diminished but the frequency of households in rented accommodation was too high. While, in the middle year the value of households in owned accommodation and households in rented accommodation were same so, in second last year the ratio of owned houses was increased also the line of rented accommodation was significantly lower.

Firstly, the proportion of households in owned accommodation and households in rented accommodation were around above 22% or 78% respectively in the year 1918. However, the value of owned houses was 32% but the value of rented houses was nearly 69% in 1939. On the other side, in the year 1953 or 1961 the frequency of owned place and rented site were approximately 32%, 68% and 41, 59% in the order given. Similarly, the lines of types of houses in the year 1971 was around 50% or 50% respectively.

Secondly, in 1981, 1991 or 2001 the percentages of households in owned accommodation or households in rental accommodation were almost 60%, 40% or 78%, 32% also 69%, 31% in that order. Furthermore, the values of these kinds of houses were around above 63% and 36% in the given order.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially by attempting to report the main features and trends of the bar chart, but it lacks a fully developed overview and contains several confusing mechanical issues. While the opening sentence paraphrases the prompt, the overview paragraph is flawed because it states that in 1918 the percentage 'was diminished' and contains disjointed fragments where words appear to be missing or garbled. Throughout the body paragraphs, the student manages to cite various data points for owned and rented accommodation across the years (such as 23% and 77% in 1918, and 64% and 36% in 2011), fulfilling some requirements of the task. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by inaccurate descriptions and imprecise comparisons. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide a clearer, more coherent overall summary of the primary trends—such as the dramatic reversal in housing tenure over the period—and ensure all data points are reported accurately without awkward phrasing or omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is an attempt at organization through the use of paragraphs and basic sequential markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Overall'. However, the overall progression is disjointed, and the relationships between ideas are not always clear. The introductory and overview paragraphs suffer from abrupt transitions and broken sentences that disrupt the logical flow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inaccurately; for example, phrases like 'On the other side' and 'in the order given' are clumsy and fail to guide the reader smoothly through the comparisons. Paragraphing is attempted, grouping the years into distinct sections, but internal cohesion is weak due to repetitive sentence structures and unclear referencing (such as 'these kinds of houses'). To improve, the writer should focus on creating a smoother logical flow between sentences, using a wider variety of appropriate cohesive phrases naturally, and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, featuring noticeable errors that occasionally impede understanding. The student relies heavily on basic terminology such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'houses', and 'accommodation', and attempts less common vocabulary or stylistic variations result in awkward phrasing. There are notable lexical gaps and inaccuracies, such as stating that the percentage in 1918 'was diminished' instead of starting at a low point, or using 'frequency' and 'site' inappropriately to describe percentages and housing types. While some spelling is accurate, word choice and collocation issues are frequent throughout the response (for instance, referring to 'second last year' instead of 2001). To achieve a higher score, the writer must expand their lexical range beyond repetitive terms, learn correct collocations for statistical data reporting, and use vocabulary with greater precision to convey precise meanings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent errors in grammar, particularly with prepositions, articles, and clause structures, which can cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include 'the data about the proportion of owned houses or rented accommodation houses in England and Wales in the years 1918 to 2011', awkward passive constructions, and incorrect prepositional usage in phrases like 'in the year 1918 or 1961'. Furthermore, sentences frequently break down mid-thought or contain missing components, as seen in incomplete clauses within the overview. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of error-free complex sentence patterns, improve control over basic grammatical agreements and prepositions, and ensure that all sentences are structurally complete and grammatically sound.

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

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