Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-09
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 charts show the percentage of households with electrical appliances and spending time in doing housework in households in in country during 1920 to 2019.
Overall, all three appliances were grew dramatically, while number of hours of housework per week declined gradually. Refrigerators was the most remarkable growth, reaching full 100% by 1980.
In 1980, washing machines owned by around 40% of households, compared with 30% of vaccum cleaners, and refrigerators not owned by any person. By 1940, electrical appliances increased by 60%, 55%, and 50%, as respectively washing machines, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators. Refrigerators increased sharply and reached by 1980, while vaccum cleaners reached at 100% in 2000. Washing machine ownership fluctuated slightly, declined from 70% in 1960 to 65% in 1980 before climbing to about 75% in 2019.
Meanwhile, weekly households work sharply fell around 50 hours to 20 hours from 1920 to 1960, then gradually decreased 20 hours to 15 hours and stabled until 2000, after that decreased in 2019 up to 10 hours.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the charts, including the trends for appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and contains significant inaccuracies. For instance, the claim that refrigerators were 'not owned by any person' in 1980 contradicts the chart, and the description of the 1940 data is confusingly phrased. While the overall trends are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the figures and the contradictory statements regarding the timeline hinder the clarity of the report. To improve, ensure that data points are accurately transcribed and that comparisons are logically structured.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile' and 'In 1980', but the flow of ideas is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing. For example, the transition between the appliance data and the housework data is abrupt. The progression of information is generally logical, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence clearly relates to the previous one would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'all three appliances were grew' (should be 'ownership of all three appliances grew') and 'stabled' (should be 'stabilised'). The repetition of basic verbs like 'increased' and 'decreased' limits the range. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated collocations or precise terminology prevents a higher score. Focusing on using more varied verbs and accurate noun phrases to describe trends will help elevate the lexical quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Refrigerators was the most remarkable growth'), incorrect preposition usage ('reached at 100%'), and awkward sentence construction ('spending time in doing housework in households in in country'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar limits the score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that prepositions are used correctly with verbs of change.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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