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 triple line graph illustrates the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and another chart illustrates the amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between the year 1920 and 2019.

First and foremost, washing machine was available in nearly 40% houses in 1920 which rises up to approximately 75% by the year end 2019. However, refrigerator is the only appliance which has grew by 100% in one century because no one has refrigerator in their house in 1920 but in 2019 all have refrigerator in their households. Moreover, vacuum cleaner which was available in only 30% households in 1920 but as of latest survey of [redacted phone]% people have vacuum cleaner in their house which is also a big jump of covering upto 70%.

On the other hand, number of hours of housework per week was nearly about 50 hours in 1920 however the number of hours reduced to approximately 10 hours in 2019 which is very low as compare to the data of 1920.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying the trends in appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of the refrigerator and vacuum cleaner trends lacks a nuanced comparison of the rate of change. Additionally, the overview is missing; a successful response should include a summary statement highlighting the inverse relationship between the rise in appliance ownership and the decrease in time spent on housework. The data is generally accurate, but the lack of a clear synthesis of the two charts limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into three paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. Cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'However', and 'On the other hand' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from appliances to housework, but the transition between the two charts could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though the structure of some sentences makes the flow feel a bit disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'big jump' and 'very low' are quite informal and repetitive. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'year end 2019' and 'as compare to'. While the student successfully uses terms like 'ownership' and 'households', the range is limited, and the phrasing often feels simplistic. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends and comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'washing machine was available' (missing article), 'refrigerator is the only appliance which has grew' (incorrect verb form), and 'no one has refrigerator' (missing article). Additionally, 'as compare to' should be 'compared to'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over basic grammatical rules.

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

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