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 them. From 1920 to 2019, refrigerators were mostly used by people as compared to other appliances, and there were 100% of people who had refrigerators at their homes.

After that, washing machines took the second position after refrigerators, and the percentage of households with washing machines increased continuously from 1920 to 2019. In 2019, there was not any person who did not have a washing machine at their home. At last, the percentage of households with vacuum cleaners fluctuated, and in 2019, there were 75% of people who had a vacuum cleaner at their home.

Another line graph illustrates the number of hours of housework per week with those appliances between the time period from 1920 to 2019. In 1920, the number of hours per week was 50, but it showed a reduction over time, and in 2019, it became 10.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. However, the response lacks precision in reporting the data. For example, stating that 'there were 100% of people who had refrigerators' is slightly inaccurate as the graph shows a peak, and the claim that 'washing machines took the second position' is not clearly supported by the data points. Furthermore, the description of the trends is somewhat repetitive. To improve, ensure you provide specific data points (e.g., percentages or years) to support your comparisons and avoid vague phrasing like 'mostly used by people'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'After that' and 'At last' are used to transition between ideas, but they feel a bit simplistic. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the appliance ownership and the reduction in housework hours could be more explicitly linked to show a deeper analysis of the relationship between the two datasets.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'people', 'used', and 'had'. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but it is limited. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise verbs and nouns related to data description, such as 'witnessed a steady increase', 'reached a peak of', or 'experienced a significant decline'. Avoid repeating the same sentence structures and vocabulary throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect the flow. For instance, 'there were 100% of people who had' is awkward phrasing, and 'there was not any person who did not have' is unnecessarily wordy. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on simplifying your sentence structure to ensure accuracy before attempting more complex forms.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.