Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-28

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 6.5)

The line graphs illustrate the use of electrical appliances by different users and the amount of time spent doing chores in a country from 1920 to 2019.

Overall, it is evident that the proportions of households with electronics experienced upward trends, while the amount of time spent by each household per week faced a downward trend. The usage of the refrigerator reached a plateau, although there were extremely small proportions of houses using it.

At the beginning of the period, the number of households using washing machine had the highest number of 40%, which increased substantially to 70% by 1960. The percentage of households dipped slightly before increasing considerably to just above 70% in 2019. Although the percentage of vacuum cleaners was low at the beginning compared to a washing machine, its percentage overtook the proportion of washing machine and became the second most used appliance.

Refrigerator percentage rate started off at just above 0% and jumped up to 100% in 1980, afterwards its percentage remained the same. While vacuum cleaners percentage started off at 30% and ended up at 100% in 2000 and afterwards.

The number of hours spent on housework per week declined sharply from 50 hours to 20 hours by 1960, thereafter it decreased slightly and eventually reached 10 hours at the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You have selected key features, such as the inverse relationship between appliance ownership and housework time. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you state the refrigerator reached a plateau at 100% in 1980, but the graph shows it reaching 100% by 1980 and staying there, which is accurate; however, your claim that there were 'extremely small proportions' of houses using it at the start is slightly vague. Additionally, the description of the vacuum cleaner overtaking the washing machine is a good analytical point. To reach a higher band, ensure all data points are described with absolute precision and avoid minor misinterpretations of the starting values.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'At the beginning', 'Although', and 'thereafter' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more refined. For example, the fourth paragraph is quite short and could be integrated better with the third to improve the flow of information regarding appliance trends. Referencing is generally clear, but ensure that pronouns or cohesive markers are used to link sentences more fluidly rather than just starting new sentences with time markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'upward trends', 'downward trend', 'reached a plateau', and 'declined sharply'. These are appropriate for describing data. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'percentage rate' (redundant) and 'extremely small proportions' (which is not entirely accurate for the starting point of the refrigerator). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repeating the word 'percentage' too frequently. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly without significant errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Although the percentage of vacuum cleaners was low... its percentage overtook...'. While there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the number of households using washing machine had the highest number' (missing article 'a' and slightly awkward phrasing), these errors do not impede communication. Your control of tense is generally consistent, and punctuation is used correctly. To move to a higher band, focus on increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring articles and pluralization are consistently accurate.

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

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