Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-29

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 two line graphs illustrate changes in the percentage of households owning three electrical appliances, namely washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, as well as the average number of hours spent on housework per week in one country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, ownership of all three appliances increased considerably over the period, while the amount of time spent on housework declined substantially. Refrigerators and vacuum cleaners eventually became almost universal, whereas washing machines remained slightly less common.

In 1920, washing machines were owned by 40% of households, compared with 30% for vacuum cleaners. By contrast, refrigerators were virtually absent. Over the next 40 years, ownership of washing machines and vacuum cleaners rose to around 70%, while the proportion of households with refrigerators increased dramatically to 90%. Refrigerator ownership then reached 100% in 1980 and remained at this level until 2019. Similarly, vacuum cleaner ownership continued to rise, reaching 100% by 2000. Washing machine ownership fluctuated slightly, falling from 70% in 1960 to 65% in 1980, before recovering to approximately 75% in 2019.

Meanwhile, the average time spent on housework fell steadily from 50 hours per week in 1920 to 35 hours in 1940 and 20 hours in 1960. It then declined more gradually to 15 hours in 1980 and 2000, before reaching just 10 hours per week in 2019.

In summary, the increasing use of household appliances was accompanied by a marked reduction in the time devoted to domestic chores.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response is excellent and fully addresses all parts of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons between the appliance ownership and the time spent on housework. The overview is clear and highlights the inverse relationship between the two datasets effectively. You have selected key data points to support your descriptions, such as the 1920 starting figures and the 2019 end points, which provides a comprehensive summary of the information provided in the charts. No information is missing, and the data is reported accurately.

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, the housework data, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Similarly', and 'Meanwhile' are used naturally to link sentences and paragraphs, ensuring the flow of information is smooth and easy to follow. The paragraphing is skillful and contributes to the overall clarity of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.5

You demonstrate a wide and sophisticated range of vocabulary that is used with precision. Phrases such as 'virtually absent', 'increased considerably', 'declined substantially', and 'marked reduction' show a high level of control. The use of topic-specific vocabulary is accurate and natural, fitting the academic context of the task perfectly. There are no noticeable errors in word choice or collocation, and the language used is both varied and appropriate for a formal report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

The response displays a wide range of grammatical structures with full flexibility and accuracy. You have used a variety of complex sentence forms, such as 'Refrigerators and vacuum cleaners eventually became almost universal, whereas washing machines remained slightly less common.' Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no grammatical errors. The control over tense and aspect is consistent, accurately reflecting the historical nature of the data provided in the charts.

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