Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-02

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 4.0)

The line graph illustrates the percentage of house owners and rented accommodation in the England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, in 1980 households in owned accommodation almost 22 percent and households in rented 78 percent, but households declining with the passage of time

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The response identifies the chart’s general subject, but it does not provide a meaningful summary of the period or compare the two accommodation types. The statement that ownership was “almost 22 percent” in 1980 is inaccurate: the chart shows about 60% in owned accommodation in 1981, while the figures near 22% and 78% correspond roughly to 1918, not 1980. The claim that households were “declining” is unclear and does not report the opposing trends. The response also omits the key crossover around 1971 and the later peak in ownership followed by a small fall. It is 45 words, below the required 150, so the task is substantially incomplete. Select the main trends and support them with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the chart, followed by a separate paragraph beginning “Overall.” This gives the reader a simple starting structure. However, the response ends after one incomplete overview and does not progress through the chart’s main stages or comparisons. The contrast introduced by “but” is not completed clearly, and “with the passage of time” does not specify what changed. To improve progression, provide an overview of the broad trends, then group the earlier and later years into paragraphs and use clear links such as “whereas,” “by contrast,” and “after reaching a peak.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to identify the chart’s topic, with phrases such as “percentage” and “owned accommodation.” However, the range is very limited, and some choices are imprecise or awkward: “house owners” does not accurately describe the chart’s category of households in owned accommodation, while “households declining” leaves the intended trend unclear. The phrase “in the England and Wales” is also an unnatural expression. Use precise chart language, for example “the proportion of households that owned their homes” and “the share living in rented accommodation.” A wider set of trend verbs, such as “rose,” “fell,” “overtook,” and “peaked,” would help describe the data accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a simple present-tense introduction and an overview sentence, but the sentence structures are limited and the overview contains errors that make its meaning difficult to follow. In “in 1980 households in owned accommodation almost 22 percent,” the sentence lacks a verb such as “accounted for,” and the year does not match the chart’s data. The clause “but households declining” is missing a finite verb and does not clearly identify which households are declining. There is also an article error in “the England and Wales.” Build complete sentences with a subject and verb, and use comparative structures such as “ownership rose, while renting fell.”

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