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 bar chart given illustrates the percentage of households in owned and rented accomodation in England and Wales during the period from1918 to 2011.
Overall, the chart represents data from 9 years on X axis and percentages of households on the Y axis.The darker color stands for rented accomodation while the lighter color represents owned houses. The highest percentage of households living in a rented apartment were in the year 1918 with 87% households.The year that had an equal number of people renting and owning an accomodation was in 1971.
While on one hand, the ratio of people owning a rented accomodation declined constantly from 1918 to 2001 on the other hand, the number of people owning a house increased during the same phase. A change in trend during the year 2011 can be seen reported for both rented and owned accomodation. The highest and the lowest percentage of people renting a house was in the year 2001 which was 69% and 23% in 1918 respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the task only partially and contains notable data confusion and inaccuracies. While the student attempts to provide an overview and mention key features, some of the reported figures directly contradict the provided visual data. For instance, the text claims that 87% of households rented in 1918 (whereas the data indicates 77%) and incorrectly states that the highest percentage of people renting a house was 69% in the year 2001 (which actually represents the peak for owned accommodation). Furthermore, describing the chart's structural layout and axis labels in the body paragraph wastes valuable space rather than focusing on the trends. To reach higher levels, the writer needs to accurately report the main trends and data points without factual misinterpretations and ensure all key features are fully supported.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text shows some overall organisation, attempting an introduction, an overview/body paragraph structure, and a concluding trend analysis, but it lacks a clear, logical progression throughout. The paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, and the mechanical description of the X and Y axes interrupts the flow of information. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as the clumsy phrasing 'While on one hand... on the other hand, the ratio of people owning a rented accomodation', which creates logical confusion because owning and renting are separate categories. Referencing is also occasionally unclear. To improve, the student should ensure ideas follow a coherent sequence and use logical connectors with greater precision to link data points smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The lexical range is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'declined constantly' and 'change in trend', but struggles with accurate word choice, collocation, and spelling. There are noticeable errors, including the repeated misspelling of 'accommodation' as 'accomodation', and confusing terminology like 'people owning a rented accomodation'. These inaccuracies cause occasional confusion for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, use precise topic-specific terminology without confusing categories, and pay closer attention to standard spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty or confused. There are noticeable errors in grammar, punctuation, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns, such as missing articles ('on X axis') and awkward modifier placement ('in the year 1918 with 87% households'). Punctuation is also neglected in places, as seen with missing spaces after full stops (e.g., 'axis.The darker', '1918 respectively.'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student should incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy and refine their control over basic punctuation and phrasing.
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