Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-28

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 5.0)

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011.

Overall, home ownership increased significantly in the period, while the rented accommodation showed the opposite trend. In the 1971 both shows the same proportion and after that owned are more common option.

The households accommodation in owned accounted the highest percentage from 1918 to 1961, which are 77% and the rented are 22%, from 1918 it decreased to 79% and the rented increase to 32% in the 1939, while both remained the same to 1953, however in the 1971 both percentage reached to 50% and remained the same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: ownership rises overall, renting falls, and the two shares meet in 1971. However, the report is incomplete and contains major factual errors. You say owned accommodation was highest from 1918 to 1961 and give 77% and 22% for 1918, whereas the chart shows 23% owned and 77% rented. You also state ownership decreased to 79% in 1939; it actually rose to 32%. The response ends without describing the later rise in ownership to 69% in 2001 and its fall to 64% in 2011. It is also 98 words, below the required 150, which limits coverage. Select accurate key figures and describe the full period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with figures. The overview gives the reader a useful general direction, and linking words such as “while,” “however,” and “after that” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, the final paragraph moves between years and categories without a clear sequence, and the inaccurate figures make the comparisons difficult to follow. The sentence beginning “The households accommodation in owned…” combines several stages in a confusing way and ends without covering the later years. Organise the details chronologically, grouping the early period and the later period, and use clear comparisons within each group. This would create a more consistent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accommodation,” “home ownership,” and “percentage,” so the subject is generally recognisable. There is also some variation in how you refer to the two categories. However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “the rented accommodation showed the opposite trend,” “the households accommodation in owned,” and “both percentage reached.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison harder to understand. Aim for accurate, natural collocations such as “the proportion of households that owned their homes” and “the two figures were equal.” Avoid repeating “percentage” when “share” or “proportion” would be clearer, and check that each phrase names the category being described.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a longer sentence using “however.” The opening sentence is clear and grammatically controlled. However, errors are frequent in the longer constructions and sometimes obscure relationships between ideas. For example, “In the 1971 both shows the same proportion” has an incorrect article, tense, and subject–verb agreement; “owned are more common option” also has agreement and article problems. In “which are 77% and the rented are 22%,” the clause structure is faulty. Practise forming complete comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement, and tense before combining clauses.

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