Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-27

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)

cambridge writing task 1

Student answer (Band 8.0)

The charts compare the changes in the proportion of households owing three electrical appliances and in the average weakly amount of time spent on doing housework in one country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall , the ownership of all appliances rose substantially over the period .Refrigerators and vacuum cleaners became universal by 2000 ,whereas washing machine increased more gradually and experienced a slight decline at one point .At the same time ,the weekly time devoted to housework fell dramatically .

In 1920 ,washing machine were the most widely owned appliance ,with 40% of households possessing one .This figure was followed by vacuum cleaners at 30% while refrigerators were not owned by any households .By 1940, ownership of washing machines had climbed to 60% ,and the figures for refrigerators and vacuum cleaners had risen to approximately 55% and 50% respectively .

Refrigerators then saw the sharpest growth ,reaching 90% in 1960 and 100% in 1980 ,where the figure remained for the rest of the period. Vacuum cleaner ownership also increased steadily ,from 70% in 1960 to 100% in 2000 .Although the proportion pf homes with washing machines rose to 70% in 1960 ,it fell slightly to around 65% in 1980 before recovering to 75% in 2019.

Meanwhile , the average number of hours of housework per household dropped from 50 per week in 1920 to just 1o hours in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response8.0
Coherence and Cohesion8.5
Lexical Resource7.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy7.5
Overall8.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively covers all requirements of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the overall increase in appliance ownership and the inverse relationship with housework time. Key features are highlighted, and comparisons are made between the different appliances and the time spent. The data is accurately reported, and the overview provides a clear summary of the trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that the relationship between the two charts is explicitly linked in the conclusion or overview, perhaps by noting that the rise in appliances likely contributed to the reduction in housework time.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The response is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: the introduction, the overview, the detailed breakdown of appliance ownership, and the final note on housework time. Cohesive devices such as 'meanwhile', 'whereas', and 'although' are used effectively to link ideas. Paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall readability of the text. The flow of information is smooth, and the reader can easily follow the comparison of data points across the decades.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. Phrases like 'rose substantially', 'became universal', and 'fell dramatically' show a good command of descriptive language. There are a few minor errors, such as 'weakly' instead of 'weekly' and 'pf' instead of 'of', which are likely slips rather than a lack of knowledge. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information with precision and flexibility. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' to avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the grammar is generally accurate. There are a few minor punctuation issues, such as inconsistent spacing before commas (e.g., 'Overall ,'). Additionally, there is a minor subject-verb agreement error ('washing machine increased' should be 'washing machines increased'). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. The control over complex structures is good, and the overall grammatical accuracy is high.

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