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 chart illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

The proportion of owners who owned households increased over a period of time in contrast to the shares of rental accomodation which showed reduction in the period given.

The owned household category makeup about 22% of accommodation in 1918 followed by

a incline of 31% in 1939 and remain constant in 1953, sharply rose to 40% in 1961 and become 50% in 1971 while, it rose to 60% in 1981 and achieved 68% in 2001 before levelling off to 62% in 2011.

Conversely, the rented apartment constitutes 78% of total shares in 1918, slightly reduces to 68% in 1939 and remained constant in 1953 with a dramatic decline at 58% in 1961, further reduces to 50% in 1971 then 40% in 1981 and achieving a peak at 32% between 1991 and 2001 after that it sharply rose to 38% in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two opposing trends and report several key figures, including the equal 50% shares in 1971 and the later rise in ownership. However, the overview is brief, and the account does not clearly highlight the full pattern: ownership peaked at about 69% in 2001 before falling to 64% in 2011, while renting reached its low of about 31% in 2001 before rising. Your final figures for 2011 are also somewhat inaccurate. The response contains 146 words, so it does not meet the 150-word minimum; the 15 words copied from the task prompt are excluded. Add a little more accurate comparison and detail to complete the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a brief overview, and separate descriptions of ownership and renting. “Conversely” helps signal the relationship between the two series, and the chronological order makes the figures generally easy to follow. However, the overview is not developed into a clear summary of the main stages, and the long data-heavy sentences make the later details feel crowded. The repeated sequence of “then,” “after that,” and similar transitions also makes cohesion somewhat mechanical. Use shorter sentences to group the early, middle, and final years, and make the comparison between the two categories explicit rather than relying mainly on contrast markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “proportion,” “accommodation,” “remained constant,” and “decline,” and the reader can understand the general trends. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “proportion of owners who owned households,” “category makeup,” and “achieved a peak” for a falling rental share. “Accommodation” is also repeated where “households” or “the proportion” would be more natural. There is a spelling error in “accomodation,” and some verbs do not express the intended trend precisely. Aim for a smaller set of accurate chart-reporting expressions, such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “reached a low.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast between the two categories and clauses describing changes over time. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in the long sentences listing several years and figures. Examples include “a incline … and remain constant,” where the article and verb form do not fit, and “it rose … and achieved … before levelling off,” where the sequence of verb forms is not consistently controlled. The sentence beginning “Conversely” also shifts between singular and plural subjects and uses several clauses without clear punctuation. Practise keeping the subject clear and maintaining parallel past-tense verbs, for example: “Ownership rose to 31% in 1939 and remained stable in 1953.”

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