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 pie chart indicates the percentage of households in owned and rented accomodation in England and Wales. The time period was between 1918 and 1911.

Overall, the lowest percentage over the time period was owned accomodation in 1918 wheres the highest number was rented accomodation. In 1971 it both percentage was stopd at same.

Getting into details, the percentage of owned accomodation stood at only 22% in 1918 wheres rented accomodation percentage was 78% as well as owned accomodation increased slightly till 1939 which was 32% and rented accomodation declined by 68%. it was 40% in 1961 of owned accomodation whereas rented accomodation percentage stood at 60%.

Moving further, Although it was stayed same at 50% of both rented and owned percentage wheres owned accommodation percentage rose in 1981 60% In addition rented accomodation declined remained only 40%. In 2001 owned accomodation increased suddenly to 70% wheres rented stood at same with 32% and In 2011 the number of owned accomodation fell slightly remained 65% whereas rented accomodation grew slightly 38%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two categories and describe the broad shift from renting to ownership, including the crossover at 1971 and the later rise in ownership. Several figures are close to the chart, such as 22% owned in 1918 and 60% owned in 1981. However, the overview is limited: it does not clearly summarise the overall rise and subsequent slight fall in ownership, alongside the reverse pattern for renting. There are also inaccuracies, including the stated period ending in 1911 rather than 2011, and the 1961 ownership figure is given as 40% rather than about 41%. The response reports relevant details but leaves important features unclear or incomplete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details across the earlier and later years. This gives the reader some sense of progression, and phrases such as “Moving further” signal a transition. However, the organisation within paragraphs is often difficult to follow because several years and comparisons are packed into long sentences. Linking words are also repetitive or used inaccurately: “wheres” appears repeatedly, while “In addition” does not clearly express the relationship between the figures that follow. Group the data into clearer stages and use precise comparisons, such as contrasting the two categories in each selected year, to make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “declined,” “increased,” and “fell slightly,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. “The pie chart” misidentifies the visual, which is a bar chart, and “the percentage … was stopd at same” does not express the equality clearly. Spelling errors such as “accomodation” and “wheres” are noticeable, and “increased suddenly” is not an accurate description of the gradual change shown. Aim for precise trend language and check spelling and collocations; the suggestions below offer useful alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences to compare ownership and renting, but complex structures are often faulty, and the response relies heavily on simple past-tense statements. For example, “In 1971 it both percentage was stopd at same” has problems with sentence structure and agreement, while “owned accommodation percentage rose in 1981 60%” lacks a grammatical link between the trend and the figure. Articles and prepositions are also sometimes missing, as in “stood at same” and “increased in 1981 60%.” These errors can make comparisons difficult to interpret. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject, verb, and figure, and use a small range of comparison clauses reliably.

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