Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-17
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 illustrate the changes owning of electrical machines including, washing machine, refrigerator and vacuum cleaner as well as the number of time people spend doing household works in one country from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, looking at the charts refrigerator and vacuum cleaner is used most while, washing machine is less used by people. The number of household works dramatically declined over the years.
In 1920, washing machine is used by most of the people, around 40% people use washing machine, followed by vacuum cleaners at 30%. Refrigerators are almost nonexistent, with ownership of around 5%. By 1940 there is a significant jump of refrigerator, around 53% people started using it. Washing machine and vacuum cleaner also increased around 60% and 40%. Then the using of washing machine declined over the years. But in 2000 it started rising again. By 2019 almost 100% people starts using refrigerator and vacuum cleaner, where as only 73% people use washing machine.
On the other hand, the number of household work declined over the year. In 1920 people used to do 50 hours household work per week. Then it gradually declined, by 1960 20% people do housework only 20 hours per week and in 2019 people do only 10 hours housework.
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 all parts of the task by identifying the main trends in appliance ownership and housework hours. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that 'washing machine is used by most of the people' in 1920 contradicts the data provided in the chart (which shows it at 40%, lower than the vacuum cleaner). Furthermore, the description of the trends is occasionally inaccurate, such as claiming the washing machine ownership 'declined over the years' after 1940, when the data shows a more complex pattern. The overview is present but lacks precision in summarizing the key relationship between the rise in appliances and the decline in housework time.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In 1920', and 'On the other hand', which help guide the reader. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the transition between the appliance data and the housework data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct charts, but the internal progression of ideas within the paragraphs could be smoother to better highlight the comparisons requested in the prompt.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'use', 'started', and 'declined'. Some phrasing is unnatural, such as 'the using of washing machine' instead of 'the use of washing machines' or 'ownership of washing machines'. While the student successfully uses terms like 'dramatically' and 'nonexistent', the range is limited, and there are minor errors in word choice that occasionally hinder the sophistication of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('refrigerator and vacuum cleaner is used'), tense inconsistencies ('1920... is used'), and missing articles ('the' before 'washing machine'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, the student should focus on consistent verb tenses when describing past data and ensure correct pluralization and article usage when referring to the appliances.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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