Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-27

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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the changes in the ownership of electrical appliances (as a percentage) and the amount of time ( in hours) spent doing housework in households in a country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, the ownership of electrical appliances showed fluctuated trend throughout the period. Meanwhile, the number of hours of housework showed a downward trend.

In 1940, ownership of the washing machine was at peak at 40%, while the vacuum cleaner followed 0% and the refrigerator was at 30%. The Vacuum cleaner ownership jumped at 90% in 1960, meanwhile, The refrigerator and washing machine followed 70%. In 2000, the ownership of the refrigerator and vacuum cleaner peaked at 100% and remained stable in 2019.

Conversely, the washing machines experienced decline until 1980 at approximately 60%, however steadily rose until 2019 at approximately 65%. The number of workhours (including washing clothes, preparing meal and cleaning) per week experienced decline throughout the period of time. Between 1920 and 1960, the number of working hour per week sharply decreased from 50% to 20%. Whereas, steadily declined until 2019 and remained at 10%.

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, there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For example, you state the vacuum cleaner was at 0% in 1940, which is not supported by the graph, and you describe the housework hours as starting at 50% rather than 50 hours. These errors in data interpretation hinder the clarity of the report. While you provide a clear overview, the lack of precision in citing figures prevents a higher band score. Ensure you carefully distinguish between percentages and absolute units like hours.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'Meanwhile', and 'In 2000', which help guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the transition between the appliance data and the housework hours. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct datasets. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the relationship between the two charts is more explicitly connected in your analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'downward trend', and 'remained stable'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'showed fluctuated trend' (should be 'showed a fluctuating trend') and 'followed 0%' (which is unclear). You also repeat the word 'ownership' frequently. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and ensure that your collocations are natural and precise. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, but lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the washing machine was at peak' (missing article 'its'), 'The Vacuum cleaner ownership jumped at 90%' (preposition error: 'to 90%'), and 'the washing machines experienced decline' (missing article 'a'). Additionally, there are issues with capitalization and punctuation. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall flow. Focusing on article usage and correct prepositional phrases will help improve your accuracy.

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

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