Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-19
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 information about the change in ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country during the time period from 1920 to 2019. Overall, washing machines and vacuum cleaners were used by people as before 1920 according to the line graph and refrigerators were used by people after 1920. Before that time, they were not familiar with that. From 1920 to 2019, refrigerators were mostly used by people as compared to other appliances and there were 100% of people who have refrigerators at their homes. After that washing machine takes the second position after refrigerator and the percentage of households of washing machine increased continuously from 1920 to 2019 and in 2019 there was not any person who had not washing machine at their home. At last, the percentage of households of vacuum cleaning is fluctuating and in 2019 there are 75% of people who have vacuum cleaner at their home. Another line graph illustrates the number of hours of housework per week with those appliances in between the time period from 1920 to 2019. In 1920, the number of hours per week were 50 but it showed a reduction over time and in 2019 it became 10.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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, including the trends for appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and contains inaccuracies. For instance, the claim that 'there was not any person who had not washing machine' in 2019 is an overgeneralization, and the description of the 1920 data is confusingly phrased. The response would benefit from a more precise comparison of the data points rather than simply listing percentages. While the key trends are identified, the lack of clear, accurate reporting of the data points limits the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow. A clear structure with an introduction, overview, and separate body paragraphs for the appliances and the housework hours would significantly improve the flow. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often repetitive or mechanical (e.g., 'After that', 'At last', 'Another line graph'). The progression of ideas is present but lacks sophistication, and the referencing is sometimes unclear, making the overall logical flow feel somewhat disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is a reliance on basic phrasing such as 'people have' and 'used by people'. Some word choices are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'vacuum cleaning' instead of 'vacuum cleaners' and 'percentage of households of washing machine'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', 'steadily increased', and 'downward trend'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'there were 100% of people who have refrigerators' (tense inconsistency) and 'there was not any person who had not washing machine' (awkward phrasing and double negative). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structures are often repetitive. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and using more varied sentence structures to describe trends accurately.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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