Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-27

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 given bar graph depicts the camparision of households in owned and rented accomodation from 1918 to 2011. The figures has been calibrated as percentage.

Overall, the trend of owned accommodation goes up while the trend of rented accommodation goes down in a given time period.

At a first glance, people with own accommodation was more than 20% in 1918 and reach to more than 30 percent after 21 year and remains stable till 1953. However, in 1961 the figures got higher and accounded as 41% and increase by 9% in the middle of graph,in 1971. In 1981, 1991 and 2001 people who accomodate their own house was 60%, 78%, 79% ,respectively. Moreover, in the 2011 the figures slightly go down and recorded as less than 65%.

Moving ahead, figures ranged from 20% to 35% in 1918, 1939 and 1953 whereas in becomes more than 40% in the end of 1961.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two categories and give a relevant overall trend: ownership rises while renting falls. You also report several early ownership figures and note the slight decline by 2011. However, the response only partially covers the chart. The ownership figures for 1991 and 2001 are reported as 78% and 79%, whereas the chart shows about 68% and 69%. More importantly, the final paragraph does not clearly describe the rented-accommodation series: it gives a vague range for the first three years and stops around 1961, omitting the later decline and the reversal in 2011. Include the main turning point, when the two categories are equal in 1971, and compare their end values to make the summary more complete and accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and the sequence of years in the ownership paragraph is generally easy to follow. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph does not develop a clear account of rented accommodation and ends abruptly after 1961. The phrase “Moving ahead” does not establish a useful relationship between the preceding and following information, while “whereas in becomes” makes the comparison difficult to follow. Some linking expressions, such as “Moreover,” are used, but they do not compensate for the missing logical progression. Organise the details into a clear comparison of both series across the period, and use transitions only where they accurately signal contrast, continuation or change.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “percentage,” “stable,” and “slightly go down,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. For example, “figures has been calibrated” is not a natural way to describe the chart’s units, and “people who accomodate their own house” does not clearly express the proportion of households that owned their homes. Spelling errors such as “camparision,” “accomodation,” and “accounded” are also noticeable. Aim for precise, repeated terms such as “the proportion of households in owner-occupied homes” and “the share of rented households,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall trend sentence communicates the main direction of change. However, the range is limited, and errors in agreement, tense and sentence construction occur frequently enough to make some details harder to understand. Examples include “The figures has been calibrated,” “people with own accommodation was,” and “reach to more than 30 percent.” The sentence beginning “However, in 1961” also combines several changes without clear grammatical control, while “in becomes more than 40%” is incomplete or malformed. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and subject–verb agreement, and separate complex descriptions into shorter sentences with clear subjects and verbs.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.