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 two types of households who either owned or rented the house in England and Wales from the year 1918 to 2001.

Overall, a significant decline is noted for rented houses over the span of 93 years whereas a gradual increase can be seen for owned homes. While both remain at exact same proportion in the year 1971.

In the year 1918, rented homes were at peak of about 77% while owned were at 23%. In 1938, people started owning more houses indicating an increase from this year till 2001. Although, the increase for owned house was moderate but it was a steady growth. With reaching its highest of nearly 69% in 2001.

On the other side, rented homes showed a decline trend as people started owning more houses since 1939 till 2001. A slight surge in 2011 can be seen for rented homes as the owned homes showed a little decline in this year. However, In 1971, both owned and rented accomodations were of same percentage of 50%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast and the key turning point: renting falls from about 77% to 31% by 2001, while ownership rises to around 69%, and the two are equal at 50% in 1971. You also note the reversal in 2011. These are relevant features and give the report a clear overview. However, the opening says the period ends in 2001, omitting 2011, and the claim that ownership increased steadily “till 2001” overlooks the slight plateau between 1939 and 1953 and the small fall after 2001. The year “1938” is also inaccurate; the chart shows 1939. Include the full period in the introduction and describe the later changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by details about ownership and renting, with the equality in 1971 added at the end. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “On the other side,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. At times, though, the progression is less smooth because the 2011 change is introduced before the 1971 comparison, and the final sentence returns to an earlier year. “Although the increase … was moderate but it was a steady growth” also combines contrasting linkers awkwardly. Grouping the figures chronologically, or discussing both series together at each stage, would make comparisons easier to follow and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “decline,” “gradual increase,” “steady growth,” “peak,” and “slight surge,” so the main trends are generally clear. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing chart data: “people started owning more houses” suggests a change in people’s behaviour rather than the percentage of households, and “rented houses” is less accurate than “households in rented accommodation.” “With reaching its highest” is also an awkward phrase, while “decline trend” is not a natural collocation. The spelling “accomodations” should be corrected to “accommodations.” Prefer precise terms such as “the ownership rate rose” and “reached a peak” to improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including a contrast clause (“While both remain at exact same proportion…”) and a sentence beginning “Although.” The main meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. “While both remain at exact same proportion” is an incomplete sentence and needs an article (“the same proportion”); “Although … but” uses two contrasting conjunctions where only one is needed. “With reaching its highest” is also an incomplete construction, and “rented homes showed a decline trend” has a faulty grammatical pattern. Tense and sentence control are uneven in places, particularly in the overview. Build complete sentences around each trend and check articles, conjunctions, and clause structure to make the complex forms more accurate.

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