Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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 graph illustrates the changes in ownership of different electrical appliances and the volume of time spent performing household works in a particular country from 1920 to 2019.

Overall, it can be seen that the proportion of households working with refrigerators and vaccum cleaners are highest and the use of washing machines are the least. Regarding the amount of hours working per week per household can be seen decreasing.

Initially, In 1920, the amount of households working with refrigerator and vaccum cleaner was around 0% and 30% respectively. Furthermore, the percentage rapidly increased to 90% and 70% respectively. Then the refrigerator stayed steady untill 2019 before slightly increasing to 100% in 1980, while the proportion of vaccum cleaner was unchanged after increasing to 100% in 2000.

The number of hours kept on decreasing dramatically for the housework such as washing clothes, preparing meals, and cleaning. The hours per week was 50% in 1920 and it plummeted to only 10% in 2019, it saw over 40% difference in a decade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For example, you state that the hours spent on housework were '50% in 1920', whereas the chart indicates 50 hours per week. Additionally, you mention a '40% difference in a decade', which is not supported by the data provided. To improve, ensure you distinguish between percentages and absolute units (hours) and verify your data points carefully. While you cover the main features, the lack of precision in data interpretation prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'Furthermore', and 'Then' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'the amount of households working with refrigerator'. The transition between the appliance data and the housework hours could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of cohesive devices and ensuring that your referencing (e.g., 'it') clearly points back to the intended noun.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'plummeted', and 'dramatically'. However, there are some word choice errors, such as 'households working with' (households owning) and 'vaccum' (spelling: vacuum). You also repeat the word 'working' in contexts where it is not appropriate. To improve, focus on collocations related to data description, such as 'ownership rates' or 'time spent on domestic chores', and ensure accurate spelling of technical terms.

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 clarity. For instance, 'the use of washing machines are the least' should be 'is the lowest'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'untill 2019 before slightly increasing'. While your meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors limits your score. Focus on proofreading for basic agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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