Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07
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 chart compares the ownership rate of three different electrical appliances from 1920 to 2019, while the figure illustrates the number of hours dedicated to housework per week during the same period. Overall, ownership across all three appliances increased during this period, meanwhile, hours spent per week on housework fell considerably.
Vacuum cleaner and refrigerator had higher usage rate than washing machine towards the end of the period. Refrigerator usage surged significantly from 0% in 1920 to 55% in 1940. This figure kept climbing before reaching a peak of 100%, after which it remained stable till 2019. Vacuum cleaner category followed a similar trend, increasing sharply from 30% in 1920 to a peak of 100% in 2000, after which it held this ownership till 2019.
Meanwhile, washing machine use initially rose from 40 in 1920 to 1960, before fluctuating and falling to 62% in 1980, before recovering to 72% in 2019.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main trends for the three appliances, but it fails to address the second part of the prompt: the amount of time spent doing housework. By omitting the data regarding the reduction in hours spent on housework, the response is incomplete. While the overview identifies the general increase in appliance ownership and the decrease in housework time, the body paragraphs do not provide any detail on the latter. To achieve a higher band, you must ensure that all data sets provided in the prompt are represented in your summary. The key features of the appliance data are well-selected, but the omission of the housework trend significantly impacts the task completion score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized, with an introduction followed by body paragraphs that group the appliances. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', and 'before' are used to link ideas. However, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly abrupt, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. The reference to 'the figure' in the introduction is confusing because the figure regarding housework is never actually discussed in the body. While the progression of ideas within the appliance section is clear, the lack of cohesion regarding the second data set makes the overall structure feel incomplete.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'ownership rate', 'surged significantly', and 'fluctuating'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'Vacuum cleaner category' (should be 'The vacuum cleaner category') and 'held this ownership' (which is slightly unnatural). You successfully use a variety of verbs to describe trends, such as 'climbing', 'peaking', and 'recovering'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and ensure that articles are used correctly before nouns to improve the natural flow of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Vacuum cleaner and refrigerator had higher usage rate' (missing articles) and 'from 40 in 1920 to 1960' (which is unclear—it likely refers to 40%). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some issues with sentence structure, such as the repetitive use of 'before' to connect clauses in the final paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the consistent use of articles.
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.