Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-06

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 6.5)

The graph illustrates changes of percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation across England and Wales over the period from1918 to 2011.

Overall, two trends stand out: households in own accommodation rose nearly tripled throughout the period, reaching its highest point in 2001, while rented accommodation followed an entirely different pattern, declining steadily and ending noticeably lower by the end of the period.

Own accommodation began the period nearly at 20%, then it started to climb up and leveled off with rented accommodation in 1971, after which it rose sharply and continued to climb throughout the remainder of the period, eventually reaching a peak of just under 70% by 2001.

By contrast, rented accommodation followed a markedly different trajectory: starting nearly at 80% in 1918, it declined steadily before leveled off at the middle of the period, only to recover slightly in the final years and settle just above 35% by 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: ownership rises from about 20% to a peak near 70%, while renting falls from roughly 80% before a modest late recovery. The overview and the 1971 crossover are relevant, and the figures you do include are broadly consistent with the chart. However, the description is not fully precise: ownership does not continue climbing after 2001, but falls to about 64% in 2011; renting also reaches its lowest point around 2001 before rising. The response is 145 words, five below the required minimum, so it does not meet the length requirement. Include the final reversal explicitly and add a little more detail on the intermediate years to develop the account more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, a clear overview, and separate paragraphs for the two accommodation types. The progression from the overall trends to the ownership figures and then the rental figures is easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Overall” and “By contrast” help signal the structure, and the comparison at 1971 gives the account a useful point of connection. To make the progression more complete, ensure that the final-year changes are stated clearly in both trend descriptions: ownership falls after 2001, while renting rises. The current wording that ownership climbed “throughout the remainder” conflicts with the chart and weakens the logical connection between the overview and detail.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of trend vocabulary, including “rose,” “leveled off,” “declined steadily,” “trajectory,” and “peak,” and the meaning remains clear. There are also attempts at more precise phrasing, such as “settle just above 35%.” Some collocations and expressions are less natural, however: “changes of percentage” and “climb up” could be expressed more idiomatically, while “nearly tripled” is not an exact description of the rise from 23% to 69%. Repetition of “accommodation” and “period” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise, natural combinations such as “the proportion of households” and “increased to around three times its initial level,” while varying references to the two categories.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the overview sentence with “while” and the contrast introduced by “By contrast.” Most sentences communicate the intended trends, but some grammatical errors remain. In “before leveled off,” the verb form should be “before levelling off” or “before it levelled off.” The phrase “reaching its highest point” has an unclear subject after “households … rose,” and “from1918” needs a space after the preposition. There is also a tense/meaning issue in saying ownership “continued to climb throughout the remainder,” since the chart shows a decline after 2001. Check clause structure and maintain accurate past-tense descriptions of each stage; these refinements would improve control without changing your clear overall meaning.

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