Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-15

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 given chart illustrates the percentage of various households in owned accommodation as well as in rented accommodation between 1918 and 2011 in England and Wales.

Overall, the households in rented accommodation were at peak and households in owned accommodation were at lowest in 1918. Similarly the households in owned accommodation were at peak and households in rented accommodations was at lowest in 2001. The households in tented accommodation decreased gradually with time and again went up in 2011. Moreover, the households in owned accommodation increased with time. Both were same in 1917.

The households in rented accommodation were around 77-80% in 1918 and at highest level. Then it began to went down with time.The percentage dropped to 50% by 1971.It began to fell down around 31% by 2001. The percentage again stepped up to around 36% in 2011.

On the other side, the percentage of households in owned accommodation were around 22-25% in 1918 and was at lowest level. Then it began to climbed up with time. The percentage was at peak by 2001 which was around 69-70%. Then it again started to stepped down to around 62-64% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast and broad movement: renting falls from about 77% to its low point in 2001, while ownership rises to about 69% before easing in 2011. The overview and supporting paragraphs therefore address the chart’s central trends. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the two categories were equal in 1971, not “1917,” and ownership did not reach its peak in 2001 alone, since it was slightly higher in 2001 than in 1991 but then fell by 2011. The overview also says ownership increased “with time,” which overlooks this final decline. More precise reporting of the turning points and a clearer account of the 1971 crossover would make the summary more complete and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by separate descriptions of renting and ownership. This makes the two series easy to distinguish, and phrases such as “On the other side” signal a shift between them. However, progression is sometimes weakened by repetition: both body paragraphs repeat that a figure was at its “highest” or “lowest,” and the overview restates trends that are then described again. Some linking is mechanical, while missing spaces after full stops make transitions less smooth. The reference to equality in “1917” is also unclear in context. Grouping the shared crossover in 1971 with the overall trends, then selecting only key figures for each series, would create a more economical and better-connected account.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the main changes, including “percentage,” “decreased,” “increased,” and “dropped.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “At peak” and “at lowest” are not natural ways to describe the chart’s extremes; “reached a peak” and “hit a low” would be more idiomatic. Phrases such as “began to went down,” “began to fell down,” and “started to stepped down” show difficulty selecting accurate forms and collocations. “Tented accommodation” is also an incorrect word choice for “rented accommodation.” Aim for a wider set of precise trend verbs and use standard collocations consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in verb forms and agreement occur in several places: “it began to went down,” “began to fell down,” and “started to stepped down” should use the base verb after “to” or a different construction. In “households in rented accommodations was at lowest,” the plural subject does not agree with “was.” There are also article and punctuation problems, including “at lowest level” and missing spaces after full stops. These errors make some sentences awkward, even though the trends can usually be followed. Practise forming trend sentences with consistent past-tense verbs and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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.