Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-16
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 given line chart illustrates the percentage of households with electrical appliances. The years under observation is 1920 and 2019. The data is calibrated in percentage. It is clear and coherent representation.
Overall, in terms of households with electrical appliances, the data for refrigerator and vacuum cleaner increased rapidly. However, data for washing machine was fluctuate in the given time span.
To begins with, in 1920, the top seat was secured by washing machine with 40%. Followed by vacuum cleaner with 30%. However, after two decades both figure increased and reached at 70%. Moreover, as time went the former figure does not exceed from 71% in 2019 and latter one depict increase gradually and remain constant in 2000 and 2019 with 100%.
Getting into further details, the data for refrigerator was 0% in 1920 but as time went it was increase rapidly and remain 100% in last years and reached at highest.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main trends, such as the rise in refrigerator and vacuum cleaner ownership, and identifies the starting and ending points. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks precision. For instance, the description of the washing machine trend as 'fluctuate' is inaccurate, as the data shows a clear upward trend followed by a plateau. Furthermore, the report lacks a clear comparison between the appliances at specific intervals, which is essential for a high-scoring Task 1 response. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant differences between the three categories over the century.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused. Phrases like 'To begins with' and 'Getting into further details' are somewhat clunky. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when the writer refers to 'former figure' and 'latter one' without clearly establishing the sequence of the items being discussed. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'The data is calibrated in percentage' and 'the top seat was secured by'. The use of 'fluctuate' to describe a steady increase is a lexical error that impacts the accuracy of the report. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise verbs and nouns related to data description, such as 'surged', 'plateaued', or 'proportion'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The years under observation is 1920 and 2019' (subject-verb agreement), 'as time went the former figure does not exceed' (tense inconsistency), and 'it was increase rapidly' (incorrect verb form). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to verb tenses and subject-verb agreement is necessary to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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