Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-20

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 4.0)

This bar chart illustrates percentage of households in owned and rented in UK and Wales during 1918 to 2011.

Overall, the household in owned accomadation was increased in 1981,1991, 2001 and 2011, decreased in initial years. The rent accommodation was increased since 1971 and decrease gradually over the years.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response3.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt an overview, but the response reports very few of the main features and does not make meaningful comparisons across the years. The statement that ownership “was increased in 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011” is inaccurate: ownership rose from 23% in 1918 to a peak of about 69% in 2001, then fell to 64% in 2011. Renting generally moved in the opposite direction, reaching its low point in 2001 before rising. The overview also misstates the early trend. The response is 49 words, well below the required 150, leaving no supporting detail or key figures. Include an accurate overview and select several figures to illustrate the trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, recognisable structure: an opening sentence identifies the chart, followed by a separate overview beginning “Overall.” This gives the reader a simple progression from topic to summary. However, the response ends before developing the information, so there is no organised comparison of the two series or progression through the time periods. The overview’s ideas are also difficult to follow because the trends are described inaccurately and the phrase “increased in 1981,1991, 2001 and 2011” does not clearly explain what happened across those years. Develop the body in a logical sequence, grouping the earlier and later years, and use clear links such as “while” or “by contrast” to compare ownership and renting.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use a small set of relevant terms, including “bar chart,” “percentage,” “households,” and “accommodation,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the vocabulary range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “households in owned and rented” needs a noun such as “accommodation,” and “the rent accommodation” is not a natural expression. There are also spelling errors in “accomadation” and inconsistent wording between “owned” and “ownership.” Use precise chart language such as “the proportion of households,” “owner-occupied homes,” and “rented accommodation.” A wider range of accurate trend verbs, including “rose,” “declined,” “peaked,” and “recovered,” would help you describe the data more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses simple sentence forms that communicate the general topic, and the opening sentence and overview are separated clearly. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “the household in owned accommodation was increased,” the passive form is incorrect; use “the proportion of households in owned accommodation increased.” The phrase “was increased” also appears to confuse an active trend with a passive action. In “The rent accommodation was increased since 1971 and decrease gradually,” the verb forms do not agree with the intended time sequence, and the sentence combines inconsistent tenses. Articles and plural forms also need attention in “percentage of households” and “the household.” Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and build some varied sentences using comparisons and time clauses.

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