Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-02

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 charts compare the proportion of households that owned three electrical appliances and the average amount of time spent on housework each week in a particular country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, ownership of all three appliances increased substantially over the period, although the growth of washing machines was less consistent. At the same time, the number of hours devoted to domestic tasks declined steadily, suggesting that the wider availability of household technology reduced the need for manual work.

In 1920, washing machines were the most widely owned appliance, with around 40% of households having one, whereas vacuum cleaners were present in only 30% of homes and refrigerators were almost absent. Refrigerator ownership then expanded at an exceptional rate, reaching approximately 90% by 1960 before becoming almost universal from 1980 onwards. The percentage of homes equipped with vacuum cleaners also rose continuously, climbing to 100% by the year 2000. By contrast, the figure for washing machines increased more gradually, peaking at about 70% in 1960, dipping slightly in the following decades, and eventually recovering to roughly three quarters of households in 2019.

The trend in housework moved in the opposite direction. Families spent around 50 hours per week on domestic chores in 1920, but this figure fell to 35 hours by 1940 and then dropped further to just 20 hours in 1960. The downward pattern continued over the remaining years, with the average reaching only 10 hours a week by the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response is excellent. You have clearly identified the main trends for both the appliance ownership and the time spent on housework. The overview effectively synthesises the relationship between the two datasets, noting the inverse correlation. You have selected key data points to support your descriptions, such as the 90% refrigerator ownership by 1960 and the reduction in housework to 10 hours by 2019. The information is accurate and well-organised, covering all parts of the prompt comprehensively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: the introduction, the overview, the appliance trends, and the housework trends. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'by contrast', and 'at the same time' are used naturally and effectively to link ideas and contrast trends. Paragraphing is used skilfully to separate the different aspects of the data, making the information easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.5

You demonstrate a wide and precise range of vocabulary. Phrases like 'almost universal', 'expanded at an exceptional rate', and 'devoted to domestic tasks' show a high level of control and sophistication. The word choices are consistently appropriate for an academic report, and there are no errors in collocation or spelling. You successfully avoid repetition by using varied terminology to describe the trends in the charts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

The grammar is highly accurate, with a wide range of complex structures used throughout the response. You effectively use subordinate clauses, such as 'suggesting that the wider availability of household technology reduced the need for manual work', and varied sentence structures to maintain flow. Punctuation is used correctly to manage complex sentences. There are no noticeable grammatical errors, and the control over tense and aspect is consistent with the requirements of the task.

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