Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-26

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 compare the proportion of people who owns house or living on rent in England and Wales for 90 years, starting from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, the trend of owning accommodation increases over time with a slight decrease at the end whereas people who living on rent decreased simultaneously.

In 1918, around 21 percent of people owned houses on the other hand around 79 percent people lived on rent. In 1961 households in owned accommodation increased as much as twice and became around 42 percent. In 1971 both had equal proportion which is the node of alternating trend.

The alternating trend begun from 1981 to 2011 where the proportion owning households started to dominate. In 1981 the people who owns house was approximately 60 percent whereas people who lives on rent around 40 percent, it then dropped to the lowest at 30% in 2001.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast accurately: ownership rises for most of the period, while renting falls, and you note the equal 50% shares in 1971. The opening and overview give the reader a relevant summary. However, the account is incomplete and includes a significant misreading: the 30% low in 2001 refers to renting, not ownership; ownership is about 69% then. The final 2011 figures and the 2001 ownership peak followed by a small decline are also omitted, so the overview does not fully capture the end of the trend. The response is four words below the required minimum, and several comparisons are underdeveloped. Add the missing end-period data and clarify which series each figure describes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and chronological details. Phrases such as “Overall” and “In 1918” help signal the stages, and the comparison between the two categories is generally easy to follow. However, the progression becomes unclear in “The alternating trend begun from 1981 to 2011,” since the data show a continuing ownership lead rather than an alternating pattern. The final sentence also gives a mistaken reference to the 2001 low, which disrupts the reader’s understanding of the sequence. Some linking is mechanical, particularly “on the other hand” within the 1918 sentence. Organise the body around the main turning points and use clearer references to ownership and renting throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “increased,” “decreased” and “approximately,” and the meaning is usually recoverable. There is some attempt to vary wording, but several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing household data. For example, “people who owns house” shifts the chart’s focus from households to individuals, while “node of alternating trend” does not clearly describe the equal shares in 1971. “Living on rent” and “owning households” are also awkward collocations. These choices make parts of the report less precise, especially when identifying the series. Prefer standard terms such as “households in owner-occupied accommodation” and “the proportion renting,” and use “equal” or “the two figures converged” for 1971.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a time clause beginning “In 1981.” The main trends remain understandable, but errors in agreement and verb forms recur: “The bar chart compare,” “people who owns,” and “people who lives” should use matching subject–verb forms. The phrase “the trend of owning accommodation increases” also shifts tense awkwardly when describing past data, and “The alternating trend begun” has an incorrect past form. Punctuation and sentence boundaries need attention, particularly the long 1918 comparison. Use the past simple consistently for the historical figures, check agreement in relative clauses, and separate contrasting figures with a full stop or semicolon.

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