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 provided two charts depict the percentages of households who owned electrical appliances and number of hours of housework per week per households in a single country in the period of 1920 and 2019.

Overall, what stands out from the data is that all three appliances showed an upward trend over the decades. Refrigerator and vacuum cleaner both were used by the majority of people. However, 1920 was the year in which these appliances were used for the most of the hours per week.

In 1920, the ownership of refrigerator was at the lowest percentage, by the time, it represented increasing trend. Around 50% of households owned refrigerator in 1940, it rose to 90% after 20 years, and finally 100% bought it in the years of 1980. After it, the requirement for refrigerator remained unchanged until 2019. However, initially, only 30% of people owned Vacuum cleaner, it grew to 50% in 1940, and 70% in 1960. In the year of 1980, this appliance saw a dramatic increase, rising to 90% and in 2000, almost 100% of people owned this and it remained unchanged by 2019.

Another appliance is washing machine which also very used in 1920. it rose slightly over the all decades, by reaching 70% in 2000, and grew marginally by 2019. Initially, people used to do 50 hours of housework in 1920, but at the end of period it decreased drastically, reaching only 10 hours of housework per week in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all three appliances and the housework hours, making relevant comparisons. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting of the data. For instance, you stated that 100% of households owned a refrigerator in 1980, whereas the chart shows it was closer to 90%. Additionally, your description of the washing machine as 'very used in 1920' is inaccurate, as the chart shows ownership was near 0% at that time. To improve, ensure you read the axes and data points more precisely to avoid factual errors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'In 1920', to link ideas. However, the progression between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'After it, the requirement for refrigerator remained unchanged'. The paragraphing is generally appropriate, but the transition between the appliances and the housework data could be smoother. Using a wider range of linking words would help improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the trends, such as 'upward trend', 'dramatic increase', and 'remained unchanged'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'the requirement for refrigerator' (instead of 'ownership') and 'very used' (instead of 'widely used'). There are also minor errors in phrasing, such as 'by the time, it represented increasing trend'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your word choices are natural and contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the refrigerator', 'a vacuum cleaner') and prepositions ('in the years of 1980'). Some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as 'Around 50% of households owned refrigerator in 1940, it rose to 90% after 20 years', which is a comma splice. Improving your control over sentence boundaries and article usage will significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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