Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-17

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 proportion of households in owned and ranted accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, the largest percentage of households in owned accommodation was 69% in 2001 and the minimum ratio was 22% in 1918. While, In 1918 the significant percentage of households in ranted accommodation was 78% .

It is clearly seen that, percentage of households in owned was 22 in 1918.It increased slightly from twenty to thirty percent in 1939. Between 1953 to 1981, the ratio of households in owned inclined marginally from 32% to 60%. Following this, it had similar proportion of households in owned between 1991 to 2002 from 62% to 63%, then it declined gradually.

In contrast, the percentage of households in accommodation was 78% in 1918.Consequently, it had almost same proportion of households from 1939 to 1953 that was 62%. In addition, there was a small change in 1961. Subsequently, from 1971 to 2001 it declined moderately and finally in 2011 it rose again from 30% to 35%.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two accommodation types and give a broad overview of the main reversal: ownership rises over time while renting generally falls. You also include several relevant figures, such as ownership reaching about 69% in 2001 and renting being highest in 1918. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: ownership was about 64% in 2011, not simply described as declining gradually, and the 1991–2001 figures were around 68–69%, rather than 62–63%. The rented figures for 1939 and 1953 were about 68%, not 62%. The overview also focuses on extremes rather than clearly summarising the crossover around 1971 and the slight reversal by 2011. Select and report the key stages more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for ownership and renting. The contrast signalled by “In contrast” is useful, and the chronology is generally understandable. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: “In addition, there was a small change in 1961” does not explain the direction or size of the change, while “Following this” and “Subsequently” sometimes connect information mechanically rather than clarifying relationships. Some references are also unclear, particularly “it declined gradually” and “it rose again from 30% to 35%,” where the relevant series or comparison could be stated more explicitly. Organise the figures into clear phases and use linking expressions only when they accurately show the relationship between data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “declined” and “in contrast,” and you attempt to vary the language used to describe trends. However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice or spelling errors reduce precision. “Ranted” is used repeatedly instead of “rented,” and “inclined” is not the natural verb for a rising figure. Phrases such as “significant percentage” and “small change” are vague, while “similar proportion” is repeated without specifying the comparison. Aim for accurate, conventional chart language and use precise verbs such as “rose,” “remained stable,” “fell” and “recovered.” Check spelling carefully, especially for key terms in the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “While” and “Following this.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in sentence boundaries, articles, prepositions and punctuation occur throughout. For example, “While, In 1918 the significant percentage…” is not a complete, correctly punctuated sentence, and “Between 1953 to 1981” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. Several sentences omit articles or necessary grammatical links, as in “percentage of households in owned.” Spacing and comma placement are also inconsistent, such as “1918.It.” Practise building accurate comparisons with patterns such as “From 1953 to 1981, the proportion rose…” and proofread each sentence for a complete structure and correct punctuation.

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