Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-05
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 chart represents the percentage of homes in owned and rented accomodation in percentage in England and Wales between the years 1918 and 2011.The number of owned houses has been increasing through the years while rented homes has shown a decline.
As seen,at the beginning more than 70% was rented and the number has been dropping until 2001 to slightly above 30% then it rose by about 4% in 2011.After 1918,the rate was constant at about 68%.
On the other hand,for self owned homes there has been a steady rise all through the years and from 1991 and 2001 the rate was at a constant of about 68%.Then it dropped slighty by around 5% in the following year.
In 1981 the percentage of both owned and rented houses was the same ar 50%
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers some main features of the chart, noting the overall upward trend for owned accommodation and the general decline for rented accommodation, along with the crossover point in 1981. However, the response is incomplete because it fails to meet the minimum word requirement of 150 words, stopping at only 133 words. Furthermore, several data details are inaccurate or confusing, such as the claim that after 1918 the rental rate was constant at about 68% (whereas the chart shows 77% in 1918 and 68 in 1939), and the minor imprecisions in reporting years and percentages. To reach a higher band, the student must write a fully developed response that meets the word count, selects data more accurately, and provides a clearer overview of the entire timeline without factual discrepancies.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response shows some basic organisation and attempts to group information by accommodation type, using transition phrases such as 'On the other hand'. However, the progression of ideas is not entirely clear, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped, with the entire text crammed into very few blocks. Cohesive devices are used somewhat mechanically, and referencing can be confusing, such as jumping abruptly between time periods. To improve, the student should ensure a logical flow from introduction to overview and body details, using paragraph breaks effectively to separate different trends, and employing a wider and more accurate range of cohesive markers to guide the reader smoothly through the comparative data.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting appropriate topic-related terms such as 'percentage', 'homes', 'owned accommodation', and 'rented accommodation'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'accomodation' (spelling error) and 'self owned homes', alongside repetition of basic phrases like 'the rate was at a constant'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the response to a lower band. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to expand their range of descriptive vocabulary, avoid spelling mistakes, and use more natural collocations when describing statistical trends and changes over time.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, such as 'The chart represents the percentage of homes in owned and rented accomodation in percentage in England and Wales between the years 1918 and 2011.' There are frequent grammatical errors, including awkward phrasing, missing articles, and punctuation mistakes like missing spaces after periods. While some sentences are clear, the frequent errors in grammar and punctuation can cause occasional difficulty for the reader. To move up to the next band, the student must improve sentence variety, ensure tighter control over punctuation and spacing, and reduce grammatical inaccuracies so that complex structures are produced with greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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