Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the percentage of owned households and rented accomodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, the rented accomodation shows the highest percentage while, owned houses are lowest percentage between 1918 and 2011.

The X-axis, shows the time period between 1918 to 2011 and Y-axis, shows the percentages of household types. In 1918, rented accomodation, are on peak at almost 76-77%, and remain stable from 1939 to 1953 accounting at 66%. From 1961, to onwards it declined to 32% in 1991, while in end in 2011, it was at 35%.

Owned accomodation, Starts at 22% and went up across the time period. In 1971, owned and rented houses were on same at 50%. In 2001, incresed to about 68%, while in 2011, it slightly decreased by 65%.

The rented accomodation was highest figure in England however decreased by time and owned houses suddenly rose over the time period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two categories and report the main long-term movement, including the crossover at 50% in 1971 and the later rise in ownership. However, the overview is inaccurate: rented accommodation was not the highest throughout the period, since ownership overtook it after 1971 and remained higher through 2011. The claim that owned houses were the lowest throughout is similarly misleading. Several figures are close to the chart, but the rented share in 1939 and 1953 is about 68%, not 66%, and the ownership peak is about 69% in 2001. To strengthen the response, give a clear overview of the reversal and the slight late-period changes, and avoid unsupported claims such as “suddenly rose.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of rented and owned accommodation. This helps the reader follow the two series, and the chronological order is generally clear. However, the overview does not accurately summarise the overall pattern, which weakens the progression of the report. Some linking is awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “while” and the final sentence, which restates earlier information without adding a useful comparison. Punctuation also interrupts flow in phrases such as “The X-axis, shows” and “From 1961, to onwards.” Organise the body around the shared trend and the 1971 crossover, then use clear time markers to show the subsequent divergence and 2011 reversal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “declined,” “stable,” and “decreased,” so the main trends are usually understandable. However, the range is limited and some word combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “on peak,” “accounting at 66%,” and “were on same at 50%.” Repetition of “accommodation,” “houses,” and “percentage” also makes the description less precise. There are spelling errors in “accomodation” and “incresed,” and “owned households” is less natural than “owner-occupied households.” Aim to use a small range of accurate trend verbs and comparison phrases, and check spelling and collocation carefully; this will make the report clearer without requiring overly advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates the basic trends, but grammatical control is inconsistent and the sentence patterns are mostly simple. Several sentences contain errors in agreement, articles, or verb forms: “rented accomodation, are on peak,” “Owned accomodation, Starts,” and “In 2001, incresed to about 68%” lack accurate sentence construction. The phrase “while in end in 2011” is also difficult to parse, and commas are often placed between the subject and verb, as in “The X-axis, shows.” These errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Practise writing complete comparative sentences with a clear subject and verb, and combine clauses accurately—for example, describing the two categories’ equal shares in 1971 and their later divergence.

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.