Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graphs below illustrate about the shifts in ownership of household appliances and number of hours of housework per week, per household in one nation from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, it can be seen that the use of all three tools increased sharply by the end of the period. However the amount of housework house declined dramatically throughout the years.
To begin with, in 1920 the percentage of washing machine was 40 and it went up until 1960 stood at 70% but it was slightly dropped in 1980 then it rose from 63% to 73% in 2019. Moreover, there was no use of refrigerator in 1920 but it was surged considerabley in 1980 and it remained stable through 2019. In addition, the proportion of vaccum cleaner accounted for 30% and it climbed rapidly in 2000 reached at 100% then it levelled off in remaining period.
In 1920 the amount of hours of housework were extremely high accounted for 50. Nevertheless it plunged at 20 in 1960 after that it gradually decreased by the rest of the period
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main trends for both appliance ownership and housework hours. The overview is clear and highlights the inverse relationship between the two datasets. However, the reporting of data is sometimes imprecise; for example, stating the washing machine percentage 'was 40' in 1920 is inaccurate as the graph shows it starting at 0%. Furthermore, the description of the refrigerator trend as 'surged considerabley in 1980' lacks specific data points to support the claim. While the main features are identified, the lack of precision in data reporting and the omission of some key comparative points limit the score to a 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas, moving from appliance trends to housework hours. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Nevertheless' are used to link sentences, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct datasets. While the flow is generally logical, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'amount of housework house declined', which disrupts the cohesion of the second paragraph. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the writer's intent.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts to use descriptive verbs like 'plunged', 'leveled off', and 'climbed'. However, there are several instances of inaccurate word choice and spelling errors, such as 'vaccum' (vacuum), 'considerabley' (considerably), and 'house' instead of 'hours'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on more precise collocations and ensure correct spelling of technical terms related to the graph. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main trends but lacks the precision required for a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the percentage of washing machine was 40' (should be 'the percentage of households with a washing machine was 40%') and 'it was surged' (passive voice error). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are also inconsistent, for example, 'reached at 100%'. These errors occur throughout the text and occasionally impede the flow of reading. The student demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but the control over these is inconsistent, which is characteristic of a band 5.5 or 6.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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