Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-05

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 compares the percentages of households living in owner-occupied and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011.

Overall, the proportion of households owning their home increased over the period, while the percentage of those renting their accommodation had declined. Home ownership reached its highest level in 2001, whereas renting was most common in 1918.

In 1918, only 22% of households owning their homes, compared with 78% of those renting their houses. In 1971, The figure for rented houses decreased to 50%, while the percentage for owned accommodation increased to 50%. Meanwhile, In 1981, the percentage of households living in owner-occupied accommodation rose to 60%, whereas the proportion for rented accommodation further decreased to 40%.

In 2011, the figure for rented accommodation continued decline to 36%. The proportion of housholds owning their house rose to 63%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a clear overall trend: ownership generally rose while renting declined, with renting highest in 1918 and ownership peaking in 2001. The figures you include are broadly accurate, including the 1971 crossover and the 1981 split. However, the report is selective and underdeveloped: it omits the early plateau from 1939 to 1953 and the late reversal after ownership peaked, when ownership fell and renting rose by 2011. The final ownership figure is also slightly low (about 64%, rather than 63%), though this is a minor difference. The response contains 129 words, below the required 150; this limits the detail available to address the task fully. Add key stages and comparisons to develop the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of figures. The sequence from 1918 through 1971 and 1981 to 2011 is generally easy to follow, and contrast markers such as “while” and “whereas” help compare the two categories. However, the body paragraphs do not provide a fully balanced progression: the years 1939, 1953, 1961, 1991 and 2001 are omitted, so the reader cannot follow the full development behind the overview. “Meanwhile” is not especially apt for the comparison in the 1981 sentence, and capitalisation after full stops is inconsistent (“The” and “In”). Group the early and later periods more systematically and use linking expressions accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “owner-occupied,” “proportion,” “accommodation,” and “declined.” These terms make the topic clear, and you avoid relying entirely on one label for each category. Some phrasing is less natural or precise: “households owning their homes” is awkward in the sentence beginning “In 1918,” while “the figure for rented houses” shifts from accommodation to houses. There is also a spelling error in “housholds.” The repeated use of “percentage,” “figure,” and “proportion” is understandable but could be more varied. Choose consistent labels for the two categories and use precise trend language, especially to describe the rise in renting at the end of the period.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and more complex comparisons, particularly with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the meaning remains clear. However, some grammatical errors are noticeable. The opening data sentence is missing a verb: “only 22% of households owning their homes” should be “only 22% of households owned their homes” or “only 22% were owner-occupiers.” In “continued decline,” the verb pattern is incomplete; use “continued to decline.” Capital letters are also incorrectly used after commas in “In 1971, The” and “Meanwhile, In 1981.” These issues show that sentence forms are not yet consistently controlled. Proofread for complete clauses, verb patterns and sentence-level capitalisation, while retaining the useful comparison structures.

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