Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-08

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 bar chart compares the proportion of domestic things in owned and rented accomodation in two different states from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, it is clear that the percentage of households in rented accomodation decreased from the highest to the lowest by the end of the trend, while families in owned living places increased significantly.

In detail, in 1918, rented homes in England and Wales accounted for nearly 78%, which remained stable at just below 70% in 1939 and 1953. The figure subsequently dropped considerably to reach just above 30% in 2001 before a gradually rise at about 35% in 2011.

In contrast, despite being last at roughly 23% of households owning accommodation in 1918, the trend then levelled off at approximately 32% until 1953. After that, the figure showed a substantial rise to reach just under 70% by the year 2001, making the highest ratio in this feature. Lastly, the proportion of families owning places for living declined slightly to roughly 64% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main opposing trends accurately: renting falls from about 78% to its low point around 2001, while ownership rises from roughly 23% to a peak near 69%, before both move back towards each other in 2011. The overview captures the broad change, and the body includes relevant figures and comparisons across the period. The description of the early rented figures as “just below 70%” and ownership as stable at about 32% is also supported by the chart. To make the account more fully developed, explicitly note the crossover in 1971, when the two categories were equal at 50%, and clarify that ownership peaks in 2001 before declining. Avoid the slightly imprecise claim that renting decreased “from the highest to the lowest” without specifying the turning point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, with the rented and owned categories presented in a clear contrast. Sequencing is easy to follow, and transitions such as “In contrast,” “After that” and “Lastly” help signal changes over time. The progression from early figures to later ones is generally logical. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and the final paragraph’s “Lastly” makes the 2011 decline sound like a separate concluding point rather than part of the trend. You could improve cohesion by grouping the two series around shared milestones—for example, noting that they meet in 1971—and using clearer references such as “the ownership figure” instead of repeating longer descriptions of households and accommodation.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “remained stable,” “dropped considerably,” “levelled off,” “substantial rise” and “declined slightly.” These choices communicate the main movements, and the meaning remains clear. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for this chart: “domestic things,” “two different states,” “owned living places” and “families owning places for living” do not describe the data naturally. “Accomodation” is also misspelled in both the introduction and overview. Prefer the chart’s concise terms, such as “households,” “owner-occupied accommodation” and “rented accommodation.” Greater consistency and more accurate collocations would make the vocabulary more precise and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You show a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a clear contrast structure in “In contrast, despite being last…” and a time clause in “After that, the figure showed…”. Most sentences are understandable, and the sequence of past-tense reporting is generally controlled. Some grammatical errors remain. In “before a gradually rise,” the article and adjective form do not fit; use “before rising gradually” or “before a gradual rise.” The phrase “making the highest ratio” is an awkwardly attached result clause, and “the highest ratio in this feature” is not a clear grammatical comparison. The opening sentence also has an unclear noun phrase (“proportion of domestic things”). Aim for cleaner clause construction and check that modifiers attach clearly to the figures they describe.

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