Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-09

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 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of households that owned or rented their accommodation in English and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, the percentage of households living in their own homes increased significantly over the period, while the proportion of households ranting accommodation decreased. In 1971, both categories accounted for an equal percentage.

To begin, in 1918, approximately 22 percent of households owned their hpmes , wheares ayound 78 percent rented accommodation. In 1913 and 1953, home ownership rose to about 31 percent, while renting fell to approximately 69 percent. By 1961, the percentage of homeowners had increased to 40 percent, compared with 60 percent of householdsliving in rented properties.

Furthermore, in 1971, the figure for both types of accommodation reached 50 percent, showing that home ownership had become as common as renting. After that, the percentage of homeowners continued to rise, reaching approximately 60 percent in 1981 and around 68 percent in1991. It then increased slightly to69 percent in 2001 before falling to about 64 percent in 2011. In contrast, the proportion of households renting their home declined to 40 percent in 1981 and around 31 percent in 1991. It decreased to further 30 percent in 2001, before rising slightly to approximately 36 percent in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the main pattern accurately: ownership generally rises while renting falls, and the two figures meet at 50% in 1971. It also reports the later peak in ownership around 2001 and its decline by 2011, giving a clear account of the chart’s key stages. Most figures are close to the visual data. However, “in 1913” is an incorrect year for the second data point, which is 1939, and the 2001 renting figure is given as 30% rather than about 31%. The overview could also be more precise by noting that ownership becomes the larger category after 1971. These small inaccuracies and the slightly incomplete comparison keep the summary from being fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a clear sequence, moving from an overview to earlier figures and then to the later years. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “Overall,” “To begin,” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow the account. The contrast between ownership and renting is also maintained across the response. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and the final paragraph repeats the same trend through separate figures rather than consistently pairing the two categories. There are also a few spacing and punctuation lapses that interrupt the flow. Grouping the years into clearer phases and using more varied, precise comparisons would make the cohesion more flexible and less dependent on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “declined,” “reaching,” and “falling,” and it varies the wording for the two accommodation categories. Meaning remains clear throughout. However, several spelling errors—“ranting,” “hpmes,” “wheares,” and “ayound”—are noticeable, and “English and Wales” is an inaccurate place name; the chart refers to England and Wales. Some expressions are also awkward or imprecise, such as “decreased to further 30 percent” and “both types of accommodation reached 50 percent.” Greater accuracy in spelling and more natural collocations would strengthen the range and control of the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a useful mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “while,” “before,” and “after,” and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons clearly. The response also uses past-tense reporting consistently. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain, though they rarely obscure meaning. For example, “decreased to further 30 percent” needs an article or a different construction, such as “decreased further to 30 percent”; “both types of accommodation reached 50 percent” is an imprecise grammatical framing of the figures; and missing spaces around punctuation in “homes ,” and “in1991” affect sentence presentation. Proofreading sentence boundaries, articles, and punctuation would improve accuracy while preserving the range of structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.