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 charts provide information about changes in ownership of 3 electrical appliances and number of hours spent doing housework in households in one country from 1920 to 2019.
According to first line graph, Refrigerator started at 0 percent at the beggining of the period. After that it climbed every given years, in next two decades around 55 % household. This was followed by every two decades and the percentage of households increased. In 1980 it reached at 100 percent and it showed a stability in year 2000. Similarly vaccum cleaner increased from 30 percent in 1920 to 100 percent in 2000 to 2019. Movingahead with washing machine, the percentage fluctuated all over the time period.
Turning to the second line chart , number of hours per week of housework declined every year. In the year 1920 it was 50 hours per week and then it took dramatic fell and in 2019 it was at 10 hours per week.
Overall, it is clear that refrigerator is owned by many households and the number of hours of working declined during the tenure.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying the trends for appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of the washing machine as 'fluctuated all over the time period' is inaccurate, as the data shows a clear upward trend. Additionally, the report lacks a clear comparison between the two charts, which is essential for a higher band. While the key features are identified, the lack of precision in describing the data points and the failure to synthesize the relationship between the two graphs limit the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for each chart, and a brief overview. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'After that', 'Movingahead with', 'Turning to'). There are also issues with referencing; for example, the transition 'This was followed by every two decades' is unclear and does not effectively link the ideas. While the overall progression is discernible, the lack of sophisticated linking words and occasional awkward phrasing hinder the flow of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'beggining' and 'vaccum', and awkward phrasing like 'showed a stability' and 'during the tenure'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors, and the student struggles to use precise terminology to describe trends (e.g., 'climbed every given years'). To improve, the student should focus on using more varied verbs and nouns to describe statistical changes, such as 'plateaued', 'gradual increase', or 'significant decline'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'According to first line graph' (missing article), 'reached at 100 percent' (incorrect preposition), and 'it took dramatic fell' (incorrect word form). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around percentages and commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction and verb tense usage prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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