Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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 6.5)

The line graphs demonstrate the changes in ownership of electronic appliances and the time spent doing housework in households in a nation from 1920 to 2019. Overall, two main trends can be observed. First is that the number of housework hours per week declined moderately throughout the period. Second is that the percentage of houses with electrical equipments generally experienced a surge in terms of all three appliances shown, with the refrigerators exceeding the other appliances by a huge margin, throughout the century.

In 1920, refrigerator was the least frequently bought electronic item as its percentage in households was close to zero. Subsequently, the percentage of refrigerators gradually increased by a huge amount and reached 100% around 1980, after which it remained constant for the next 39 years. Along with this, washing machines and vacuum cleaners initially stood at 30% and 40%, respectively. Later, both of them steadily escalated to become 70% in 1960, but after that the percentage of vacuum cleaners continued to go up to reach a 100% in 2000, while the washing machine showed some fluctuations by dropping slightly below 65% in 1980 and then uniformly rose till 2019, reaching a percentage of approximately three quarters.

The number of working hours, on the other hand, considerably went down throughout the century. Initially, the number stood at 50 hours in 1920, which was the highest. This figure then continued to reduce till 1980, where it stayed constant at 15% for the next 20 years after which it fell again to finally settled at just over 10% in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the main trends and selected relevant data points to support your description. The comparison between the rise in appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours is well-integrated. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, you mention the housework hours fell to '15%' in 1980, whereas the graph indicates 15 hours. Additionally, the final figure for washing machines is described as 'three quarters' (75%), which is a reasonable estimation, but ensure precision when interpreting axes. Overall, the report is well-structured and covers the key features of the charts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a summary. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from a general overview to specific details about appliances and then to housework hours. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'Subsequently', 'Along with this', and 'on the other hand' to link your ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the data. The flow is natural, and the referencing is clear throughout the response, making it easy for the reader to follow the comparison between the different variables over the century.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'experienced a surge', 'exceeding the other appliances by a huge margin', and 'steadily escalated' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'electrical equipments' (equipment is an uncountable noun) and 'least frequently bought electronic item' (the graph shows ownership, not purchase frequency). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is varied and appropriate for an academic report, allowing for clear communication of the trends shown in the charts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You demonstrate good control over tense usage, particularly when describing historical trends. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'refrigerator was' (missing an article: 'the refrigerator was') and 'finally settled at' (should be 'finally settled'). Additionally, there is a slight confusion in the third paragraph where you refer to '15%' instead of '15 hours'. However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede the overall clarity of the report. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate.

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