Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-31

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)

This bar chart demonstrate the household in owned and rented accomodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, most of the household lives in a rented accomodation in 1918 to 1961 and after 1971 to 2011 many of the household lives in a owned accomodation.

In 1918, 88% people lives in a rented accomodation and in 1939 77% lives in a rented house.In 1971 both percentage in same. But in 1991 only 32% people lives in a rented homes and in 2001 to 2011 only 31% to 35% individual lives in a rented houses.

On the other hand, in 1918 only few people lives in owned accomodation. In between 1918 to 1971 only few individual lives in owned houses and after 1971 from 1981 to 2011 most of the people lives in a owned houses. In 2001, 67% people lives ina owned accomodation and in 2011 65% people lives in a owned houses

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview of the shift from renting to owning, including the point in 1971 when the figures were equal. However, several figures are inaccurate: renting was about 77% in 1918, not 88%, and about 68% in 1939, not 77%; ownership was about 69% in 2001 and 64% in 2011, rather than 67% and 65%. The overview also says renting predominated through 1961, but ownership had already risen to 41% by then, although renting remained higher. The response is 147 words, three words below the 150-word minimum, and the eight words copied from the task prompt are excluded. Include more accurate comparisons and cover the later reversal in 2011 more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing rented and owned accommodation. Phrases such as “On the other hand” help signal a comparison, and the information generally follows the timeline. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: the rented figures jump from 1939 to 1971 and then to 1991, while the ownership paragraph gives a broad, repeated claim before adding two figures. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “after 1971 from 1981 to 2011,” and missing spaces after full stops make the text harder to follow. Group the data into clear periods and use concise transitions to show the rise, plateau and final change.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant basic terms, including “bar chart,” “percentage,” “rented accommodation” and “owned accommodation,” so the topic remains understandable. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, especially the repeated use of “people,” “lives” and “accommodation.” Some choices are imprecise for a chart about households: “88% people” and “individual lives” do not accurately describe the unit being measured. There are also noticeable spelling and form errors, including “accomodation” and “ina.” Use a wider set of precise chart verbs and nouns, such as “accounted for,” “share” and “households,” and check spelling and collocations. This would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use simple structures, and the reader can usually understand the intended comparisons. However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make the relationships between figures unclear. For example, “This bar chart demonstrate” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “most of the household lives” and “people lives” use incorrect agreement and number. Articles are also often inaccurate, as in “a owned accommodation” and “a rented accommodation.” The sentence “In 1971 both percentage in same” is incomplete, and several sentences lack appropriate punctuation or spacing. Practise accurate present-tense descriptions, plural forms, articles and complete comparison sentences before attempting more complex structures.

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