Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-13

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 line graph illustrates the changes in ownership of electrical devices and amount of time spent accomplishing house hold chores in homes in one country during 1920 to 2019. Overall, all these three devices saw a significant number of uses between 1920 to 2019.

Among all these items refrigerator drew the highest number of users within the time period. In 1920 it was at its lowest point at 0%, but took a dramatic shift over the years. In 1940, it surged to more than 50% and continued its thriving rate till 1960 and 1980, respectively 90% to 100%. From 2000 to 2019, it remained unchanged.

On the other hand, the users of vacuum cleaner was at 30%, then saw a stable growth in 1940 at 50%, and rosed approximately 70% in the year of 1960. Its bullish growth rate increased over the time, therefore its users rate rapidly touched the 90% in 1980, and completed the 100% users rate, respectively at 2000 and 2019. Meanwhile, the number of using washing machine started from 40% in 1920, then gradually increased to 60% and 70% in 1960. Afterwards, it slightly fell to approximately at 62% in 1980, then gradually improved to 70% and 73% respectively at 2000 and 2019.

Ultimately, the users of refrigerator was the highest among these three machines, and vacuum cleaner, washing machine took the second and third position.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends for the three appliances. However, the task instructions also mention the 'amount of time spent doing housework,' which is completely ignored in your report. This is a significant omission. While you have selected and reported on the appliance ownership data, the failure to address the second part of the prompt prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure you read the prompt thoroughly and include all data sets provided in the charts. The overview is present but could be more analytical by highlighting the inverse relationship between appliance ownership and housework time.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand,' 'Meanwhile,' and 'Ultimately' to link your points. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally slightly confusing, such as the use of 'respectively' when listing percentages for different years. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure helps the reader follow the information, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the trends more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'surged,' 'thriving rate,' and 'stable growth.' However, there are some awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'bullish growth rate' (which is more common in financial contexts) and 'completed the 100% users rate.' Additionally, there are minor errors in word form, such as 'rosed' instead of 'rose.' While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the precision and natural collocation expected at higher bands. Focusing on more academic collocations will help improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the users of vacuum cleaner was' (subject-verb agreement), 'rosed' (incorrect past tense of rise), and 'at 0%' (preposition usage). Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'the number of using washing machine.' While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that your verb tenses are consistent when describing historical data.

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

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