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 chart illustrates the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, it is noticeable that the ownership of all three electrical appliance increases sharply over a period while the hours of housework fell dramatically.

It is evident that the percentage of hoseholds owning electrical appliances; in 1920 washing machine 5-40%, refrigerator 0%,vacuum cleaner 30%. In 1940 the percentage of wahing machine 15%, refrigerator almost 50.2%, vacuum cleaner 70% and the 70% washing machine, 90% refrigerator and vacuum cleaner by 1960. In 1980 the percentage of owning washing machine 60.2%, refrigerator and vacuum approach 100%. Ownership of washing machine rises steadily by 2000 and 2019 while vacuum and refrigerator are at 100%.

Acloser look reveals that the number of hours of housework decreases gradually, from 50 hours per week in 1920 just to 10 hours in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two main overall trends: appliance ownership generally rose, while housework time fell. You also include several years and all three appliances, so the response is relevant to the task. However, a number of figures are inaccurate or unclear: for example, washing-machine ownership was about 40% in 1920, not “5-40%”; in 1940 it was 60%, not 15%, and vacuum-cleaner ownership was 50%, not 70%. The overview also overstates the rise, since washing-machine ownership dipped around 1980. The housework figure of about 11 hours in 2019 is close to the chart. The response is 130 words, below the 150-word minimum, and 23 words copied from the prompt were not counted. Add accurate comparisons and more detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on appliance ownership and a final sentence about housework. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, the appliance paragraph is difficult to follow because figures from different years are compressed into one long sequence, and the wording “and the 70% washing machine” does not make the comparison clear. The semicolon after “appliances” also interrupts the sentence rather than linking ideas. Use separate sentences or organise the details by time period, and make each year-to-figure relationship explicit. The final paragraph is very brief, so the two charts are not balanced in the report.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “ownership,” “percentage,” “appliances,” and “hours per week,” and phrases such as “fell dramatically” communicate the broad trend. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms reduce clarity. “The ownership of all three electrical appliance” is not a natural or accurate phrase, while “a closer look reveals” adds little precision. There are also spelling errors, including “hoseholds,” “wahing,” and “Acloser,” which make the response less polished. Aim for precise trend language and accurate collocations, such as describing ownership as “the proportion of households with…” and reporting that a figure “reached” or “remained at” a level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including the overview beginning “Overall” and the clause “while the hours of housework fell dramatically.” However, control is inconsistent, and several sentences are incomplete or structurally awkward. “It is evident that the percentage of households owning electrical appliances; in 1920…” has no complete main clause after the semicolon. The phrase “In 1980 the percentage of owning washing machine 60.2%” is also missing a clear subject and verb, and “the ownership … increases” does not maintain the past-time framing of the chart. Check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and use complete clauses such as “In 1980, 65% of households owned a washing machine.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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