Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · 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 8.5)

The line graphs illustrate changes in the ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent on housework per week in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, the ownership of all three appliances increased substantially over the period, with refrigerators becoming universally owned by 1980. In contrast, the amount of time spent on housework declined dramatically, falling from 50 hours per week in 1920 to just 10 hours in 2019.

In 1920, refrigerators were not owned by any households, while approximately 40% of households had a washing machine and around 30% possessed a vacuum cleaner. Refrigerator ownership then increased rapidly, reaching 100% by 1980 and remaining at this level thereafter. The proportion of households with washing machines also rose steadily, although there were some fluctuations, eventually reaching 100% in 2019. Meanwhile, vacuum cleaner ownership increased considerably overall, despite minor fluctuations, and stood at approximately 75% at the end of the period.

The second graph shows a clear inverse trend in the amount of housework undertaken. In 1920, households spent approximately 50 hours per week on housework. This figure declined gradually over the following decades, falling to around 35 hours in 1940 and approximately 20 hours by 1960. It then continued to decrease, reaching about 15 hours in 1980 before falling further to just 10 hours per week in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response is excellent and fully addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the trends and effectively selected key data points to support your description. The comparison between the rise in appliance ownership and the decline in housework time is well-integrated, demonstrating a strong understanding of the relationship between the two datasets. All figures are accurately reported, and the summary captures the main features without unnecessary detail, meeting the requirements for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: the introduction, the overview, the appliance data, and the housework data. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'This figure' effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The structure is natural and easy to follow, with no instances of mechanical or repetitive phrasing. The flow of information is smooth throughout the entire report.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

You demonstrate a wide and precise range of vocabulary. Phrases like 'universally owned', 'inverse trend', and 'declined dramatically' show a sophisticated control of language. The use of 'fluctuations' and 'proportion' is appropriate for an academic report. There are no errors in word choice or collocation, and the vocabulary is used naturally to convey the trends in the data accurately. The range is sufficient to describe the trends with precision and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

The writing displays a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You successfully use complex sentences, such as 'The proportion of households with washing machines also rose steadily, although there were some fluctuations, eventually reaching 100% in 2019.' Punctuation is used correctly, and there are no grammatical errors that impede communication. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout the response.

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