Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-06

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 indicates the alter the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and duration of housework per week, per household in one country between the time frames 1920 and 2019.

Overall, the demand of electrical appliances such as refrigerator and vacuum cleaner was drastically increasing over all the time period while the ownership of washing machine slightly fluctuate and stable. Moreover the number of hours of housework spent per week gradually decrease.

In 1920, Washing machine was popular about 40 percent, followed by vacuum cleaner 30 percent and least by Refrigerator was zero. In contrast the Refrigerator the minimum these roses dramatically up 100 percent by 1980 and remains stables. Likewise, Vacuum cleaner was second popular at the beginning roses steadily from 30 percent to 100 percent by 2000 and stable. Moreover, Washing machine was most popular at initial time and rises up to 70 percent by 1960 and decrease to 55 in 1980 and rises slowly.

On the other hand the duration of time spent for instances; the number of hours decreases 50 hours per weeks in 1920 to 20 hours in 1960. Gradually it reaches up to 10 hours per weeks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main trends in appliance ownership and housework hours. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While the overall trends are noted, the description of specific data points is occasionally inaccurate or confusing, such as the claim that the washing machine ownership 'slightly fluctuate and stable' or the description of the refrigerator's rise to 100 percent. The summary of the housework hours is clear, but the report lacks a more sophisticated synthesis of the relationship between the two charts. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are cited with greater precision and that the overview clearly highlights the inverse relationship between appliance ownership and time spent on housework.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'On the other hand', which help guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is disrupted by awkward phrasing or missing articles. For example, the transition between the appliance data and the housework data is abrupt. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the body paragraphs could be improved by grouping information more logically rather than listing data points chronologically in a way that feels repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'the line graphs indicates the alter the changes', 'remains stables', and 'at initial time'. The student relies on basic verbs like 'rises' and 'decrease' repeatedly. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and the presence of errors in word form (e.g., 'fluctuate' instead of 'fluctuated') limit the score. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise reporting verbs and nouns, and ensure correct word forms are used in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('graphs indicates', 'Washing machine was popular'), missing articles ('the Refrigerator', 'at initial time'), and incorrect verb tenses ('roses' instead of 'rose'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of semicolons and commas. While the student attempts complex sentences, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the clarity of the writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.