Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-23

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 shows the percentage of households owned and rented in England and Wales. In the year 1918 about 20 to 25% of houses were owned by people and in the same year 70 to 89% of houses were rented. This percentage is not the same for upcoming years. In 1939 the percentage of owned household is about 30% while rented accomodation ranges from 60 to 68%. In the year 1953 about 30% individuals owned their houses while 68% people are still living in rented houses. Furthermore in the year 1971 the percentage of both are same about 50%.And in the year 1981 almost 60% of household were owned while 40% are rented. Lat three statistical lines shows the same data which indicates that from year 1991 to 2011 about 70% of houses were owned by people of England and Wales and almost 30 to 35% of houses were rented.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report several relevant figures, including the rise in ownership from roughly 20–25% in 1918 to around 60% in 1981, and the point at which the two categories were equal in 1971. However, the response only partly summarises the chart: it has no clear overview of the full pattern, such as ownership generally increasing while renting declined, followed by a reversal between 2001 and 2011. The final claim that ownership was about 70% from 1991 to 2011 overlooks the fall to 64% in 2011, and the rented share correspondingly rose to 36%. Several figures are also expressed as broad ranges rather than precise comparisons. Select the main trends and describe the late-period change accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows the years in chronological order, which gives the reader a basic route through the data, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “while” help connect some comparisons. However, the information is presented as one continuous paragraph, with no distinct overview or clear grouping of the main trends. Some transitions are mechanical, and “This percentage is not the same for upcoming years” does not explain what changes. The final sentence groups three years together but gives an inaccurate generalisation, making the progression less clear. Organise the response into an introduction, an overview, and one or two paragraphs comparing the earlier and later years; use links to show contrast and change more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “owned,” “rented,” and “ranges,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing household data. For example, “houses were owned by people” and “individuals owned their houses” are less suitable than concise terms such as “households owned their homes” or “the home-ownership rate.” “Lat three statistical lines” is unclear, and “accomodation” is misspelled. Repetition of “in the year” also limits flexibility. Aim for accurate collocations and a wider set of trend verbs, such as “rose,” “declined,” “peaked,” and “reversed,” while keeping the wording concise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with comparisons, and the main meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is uneven: “the percentage of owned household is” has a number/agreement problem, while “68% people are still living” is missing a grammatical element. Tense shifts also occur, for example “were owned” followed by “are rented,” although the chart reports historical data. Punctuation is sometimes faulty, as in “50%.And,” and the final sentence is difficult to follow because several clauses are joined together. Practise consistent past-tense reporting, plural forms such as “households,” and sentence boundaries. A few well-controlled complex comparisons would make the response clearer without sacrificing accuracy.

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