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 bar chart illustrates the data regarding the proportion of owned households and rented accomodation in two different places namely England and Wales over a time period of 93 years.

As per the diagram, in 1918 approximately 78% was households in rented accomodation. However, After 21 years it was evident that the percentage of owned accomodation dipped to nearly 69% which was continued till 1953 which further dropped to less than 60% in 1961.

However, over all these period from 1918 to 1961 houeholds in rented accomodation grew comsistently which exhibited a same pattern as like households in rented accomodation from inital 22% to 41%.

In 1971 both houeholds were exactly half of the total. Further, a reverse pattern was evident with majority of households in owned accomadation(60%) and the least was household in rented accomodation (40%). Following subsequent years a similar pattern continued with slight fluctution by both households reached nearly 70% and 30% respectively. Despite in 2011 percentage of owned accomodation steadily reduced to 63% and the other one graduly rose to 36%.

To sum up, over the period households in owned accomodation increased considerably. On the other hand, household in rented accomodation decreased significantly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change correctly: ownership rises over the period while renting generally falls, and you note the equal split in 1971 and the reversal by 1981. However, several details are confused. In 1939 and 1953, rented accommodation is about 68%, not owned accommodation at 69%; ownership is about 32% in both years. The sentence saying rented households “grew” from 22% to 41% also reverses the series: those figures describe ownership, which rises, while renting declines. Your overview is relevant but too general, and the account does not clearly distinguish the long-term trends from the small changes around 1991–2001 and the final reversal. More accurate comparisons and a clearer overview would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, chronological description, and concluding summary. The sequence from 1918 to 2011 is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 1971” and “Despite in 2011” signal changes in time. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. Repeated use of “However” does not always express a genuine contrast, and “over all these period” and “Following subsequent years” make the links between ideas difficult to follow. The paragraph describing 1918–1961 is especially confusing because it switches between the two categories and mislabels the figures. Group the early decline in renting, the crossover, and the later ownership peak into clearer stages, using precise references to each series.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “increased considerably,” and “decreased significantly,” and you attempt to describe trends with “dipped,” “reverse pattern,” and “fluctuation.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning hard to interpret. For example, “rented accommodation grew” conflicts with the data, while “the least was household” is not a natural way to compare proportions. Spelling errors such as “accomodation,” “houeholds,” “comsistently,” and “graduly” are also noticeable. Aim for accurate, conventional chart language and check spelling; precise terms such as “accounted for,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable” would help.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “However” and “Despite,” and the overall meaning can usually be recovered. Nevertheless, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation recur. For instance, “in 1918 approximately 78% was households” has an incorrect subject–verb structure, while “which was continued till 1953” uses an unsuitable passive form. “Despite in 2011” is not a grammatical clause opener, and “both households were exactly half of the total” is awkwardly constructed. Use a clear subject for each percentage, maintain consistent past-tense reporting, and separate long sentences where needed. This would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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