Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-10
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 given charts illustrates the changes in ownerships of electrical appliances and amount of time spent doing homework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019 .
Starting with the first graph in which percentage of household with electrical appliances is represented. Firstly, the of data of washing machine starts from 40% in 1920 which is gradually increasing till 1960, a slight down fall of data came from 1960 to 1980 than again it started increasing till 2019. Secondly, the graph line of refrigerator started at 0% in 1920 which some how reached 100% till 1980 and became constant till last. Lastly, the information given about the vacuum cleaner starts from 30% in 1920 which was increasing at constant speed and reached to the same level as refrigerator till 2019.
Moving forward with the second graph which shows Number of hours of housework* per week, per household. Moreover, in 1920, the data starts from 50 hours per week which decreased to only 10% in 2019.
Overall, percentage of refrigerator and vacuum cleaner was more in 2019 then washing machine and as years passed number of hours per week went down along with time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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, but the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While you identified the trends for the appliances and the housework hours, the description of the washing machine trend is inaccurate (it does not show a 'downfall' in the provided data, but rather a plateau or slight fluctuation). Additionally, the comparison between the two charts is underdeveloped. To improve, ensure you group data logically rather than listing each item individually, and provide a more insightful summary that synthesizes the relationship between the rise in appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive and sometimes unnatural, such as 'Starting with the first graph' and 'Moving forward with the second graph'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to 'the data' without specifying which trend is being discussed. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'a slight down fall of data came' and 'some how reached 100%'. The term 'homework' is used instead of 'housework', which is a significant error in context. You rely on basic verbs like 'starts', 'increasing', and 'reached'. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary, such as 'fluctuated', 'plateaued', 'surged', or 'witnessed a steady decline'.
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 clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The given charts illustrates') and incorrect preposition usage ('percentage of household' instead of 'households'). There are also issues with article usage and word order. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your score.
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.