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 reduction in it at the time going on and in 2019 it became 10.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main trends for both charts, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. You identify the overall trends—such as the increase in appliance ownership and the decrease in housework hours—but you fail to make meaningful comparisons between the two datasets. For instance, you could have explicitly linked the rise in appliance ownership to the decline in hours spent on housework. Additionally, some data points are described inaccurately; for example, stating that 'there was not any person who had not washing machine' is an overgeneralization of the 100% figure. To improve, focus on selecting key data points to support your observations rather than listing percentages in a repetitive manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'After that' and 'At last' are used to transition between points, but they do not always create a smooth flow of ideas. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the timeline of appliance usage is confusingly explained. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'used by people' and 'percentage of households of'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'vacuum cleaning' instead of 'vacuum cleaners'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use less common lexical items or sophisticated synonyms to describe trends (e.g., 'fluctuating' is used correctly, but could be supported by more precise descriptors).

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, 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 missing articles). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on proofreading for basic tense consistency and article placement would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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