Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-07

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 6.0)

The two-line graphs show the percentage of household that owned three electrical appliances like washing machine, refrigerator and vacuum cleaner and average number of hours of housework per week in one country from 1920 to 2019.

Overall, the ownership of all three electrical appliances increased over the period, especially refrigerators and vacuum cleaner, which reached almost 100% by the end. At the same time, the amount of time spent on housework fell significantly.

In 1920, about 40% of households had a washing machine, while 30% owned a vacuum cleaner, almost 0% had a refrigerator. By 1940, the figures had increased around 60%, 50% and 55% respectively. Refrigerator ownership then grew rapidly to 90% in 1960 and reached 100% in 1980, where it was same until 2019. Vacuum cleaner ownership also increased from 70% in 1960 to 90% in 1980.

the ownership of washing machines increased from 40% in 1920 to about 70% in 1960. unlike refrigerators and vacuum cleaner, however, it fell slowly to 65% in 1980 before recovering to around 75% in 2019. The average time spent on housework decreased from 50 hours per week in 1920 to 20 hours in 1960. It then fell again around to 16 hours in 2000, and finished at 15 hours in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers all parts of the task. You have identified the main trends for both the appliance ownership and the housework hours. The overview is clear and highlights the inverse relationship between the two sets of data. You have selected relevant data points to support your descriptions, such as the 1920 starting figures and the 2019 final figures. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are fully developed; for instance, you could explicitly link the rise in appliance ownership to the decline in housework hours more consistently throughout the body paragraphs to provide a more cohesive analytical narrative.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices effectively, such as 'At the same time' and 'unlike refrigerators and vacuum cleaner'. However, there are minor issues with paragraphing and referencing; for example, the fourth paragraph starts with a lowercase 'the', and the transition between the third and fourth paragraphs could be smoother. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring consistent paragraph structure would improve the flow further.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'ownership', 'increased', 'fell significantly', and 'recovering'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'where it was same' (should be 'where it remained the same') and 'increased around 60%' (should be 'increased to around 60%'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Incorporating more varied collocations and precise reporting verbs would enhance your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the percentage of household' should be 'households'), incorrect prepositions ('increased around 60%' instead of 'to around 60%'), and punctuation issues (the lowercase 'the' at the start of the fourth paragraph). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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

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