Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The charts below show the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Percentage of households with electrical appliances (1920-2019)
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The given line graphs compare the percentage of households with electrical appliances number of hours of housework in a country from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, the percentage of washing machine ,refrigerator, vacuum cleaner showed upward trend, while number of hours of housework per week, per household depicted downward trend.
In 1920, the percentage of washing machine was maximum(40%), followed by refrigerator (30%), vacuum cleaner (9%). In 1960 the ratio of washing machine and refrigerator merged at same point(60%). After that percentage of all electrical appliances rose from 1980 to 2019. In 2000, percentage of refrigerator and vacuum cleaner was same (99%). In 2019 the percentage of refrigerator 100%, which was 40% more than washing machine.
In 1920, 50 hours had used, meanwhile , in 1940s only half hours of 1920s had used. The comparision between hours used in 1960 and 1980s was noticed 10%. in 2000 11% hours were used, while in 2019 10% hours had used.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the two main overall trends: appliance ownership generally increased, while weekly housework time fell. However, several figures and comparisons are inaccurate, which limits how fully the key features are reported. For example, in 1920 refrigerators were at about 2% and vacuum cleaners at 30%, not 30% and 9%; in 1960 washing machines were about 70% and refrigerators 90%, so they did not meet at 60%. The housework figures are also misreported: the 2000 value was about 15 hours and the 2019 value about 11, rather than 11 and 10. Include the main milestones accurately and describe the washing-machine dip around 1980 before its later rise.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate discussion of appliance ownership and housework. Time markers such as “In 1920,” “After that” and “In 2019” help the reader follow the chronology. However, progression within the appliance paragraph is not always clear: it moves from 1920 to 1960, then broadly to 1980–2019, without consistently comparing the three series. The housework paragraph also presents figures in sequence but does not clearly explain the overall decline and periods of stability. Some linking is awkward or inaccurate, such as “meanwhile” and “The comparision between.” Organise each paragraph around a clear trend, then use selected dates to support it.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “upward trend,” “downward trend” and “per week,” so the topic is generally clear. There is also some attempt to vary wording with “depicted” and “ratio.” However, the range is limited and several choices or combinations are unnatural, including “the percentage of washing machine,” “same point” and “50 hours had used.” Spelling errors such as “comparision” and “refrigerator” being used as a countable appliance category also reduce precision. Aim for standard chart language and accurate collocations, for example “the proportion of households owning a washing machine” and “households spent 50 hours per week on housework.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response attempts both simple statements and longer comparisons, and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and some sentence patterns are incomplete or difficult to interpret. Examples include “the percentage of washing machine … showed,” where the subject and agreement are unclear, and “50 hours had used,” which lacks a suitable subject and verb construction. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent in phrases such as “percentage of refrigerator” and “all electrical appliances.” Punctuation spacing is uneven, and the sentence beginning “The comparision between hours used…” is not formed as a clear comparison. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and use consistent past-tense reporting, such as “Households spent 50 hours per week on housework in 1920.”
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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