Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-19

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 of households lived in their owned and rented apartments in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, in 1918 around 78% of the household lived in rented accommodation while around 23% lived in their owned houses. In 1971 the ratio becomes equal to 50%. In contrast the households in their owned apartments increases after 1971.

To begin with 1918 around 78 percent households lived in rented with the passage of time ratio becomes down 50% in 1971. While it goes down to 32% in 2001. This ratio start to rise upto 38% in 2011.

On the other hand, around 23% of people live in their own houses. While the ratio rise upto 50% in 1971. this ratio rose upto around 68% in 1991 and around 69% i. 2001. in contrast the ratio start decreasing in 2011 which is around 64% .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast and broad pattern: renting falls from about 78% to 50% by 1971, while ownership rises to a peak around 2001 before declining. The equal split in 1971 is also a relevant feature. However, the overview is brief, and the account does not clearly compare both series across the full period; for example, ownership is unchanged at 32% in 1939 and 1953, a useful plateau that is omitted. Some figures are inaccurate: renting is about 31%, not 32%, in 2001 and about 36%, not 38%, in 2011. The response contains 140 words, below the required 150, with eight words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. Develop the overview and add accurate comparisons to complete the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for rented and owned accommodation. This helps the reader follow the two categories, and phrases such as “To begin with” and “On the other hand” signal a change of focus. However, progression is limited because the body paragraphs largely repeat the overview rather than developing a clear chronological comparison. Several sentence openings are fragmented or awkwardly connected, such as “While it goes down to 32% in 2001” and “On the other hand, around 23%...” The linking phrases are also somewhat mechanical. Organise the details into a clearer sequence, connect complete sentences accurately, and use referencing to avoid repeating “this ratio” so often.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the chart’s subject, including “rented accommodation,” “households,” “ratio,” and “decreasing.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “the data of households lived,” “their owned apartments,” and “the ratio becomes down.” “People” is also less precise than “households” when describing the chart. There are noticeable spelling and form errors, including “upto” and “i.” These do not prevent the general meaning from being understood, but they reduce precision and fluency. Aim for standard chart language such as “the proportion of households,” “fell,” “rose,” and “owner-occupied accommodation,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates the main trends, but grammatical control is inconsistent and the sentence patterns are mostly simple, with attempts at longer structures that are often incomplete. For example, “While it goes down to 32% in 2001” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “In contrast the households in their owned apartments increases” has subject–verb agreement and sentence-structure problems. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent in “households lived” and “the ratio start to rise.” Punctuation and capitalisation need attention, particularly the lower-case “this” after a full stop and the final sentence’s spacing and punctuation. Practise complete clauses, consistent past-tense reporting, and agreement between subjects and verbs; these changes will make the trends easier to read.

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