Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17
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 illustrates how the electrical appliances ownerships changes the amount of time people spent in doing housework in households in one country.
Overall, the percentage of of households with electrical appliances graph shows increase trends throughout the years in almost all categories and the another graph with number of hours of housework per week shows continue decline over the years.
Electrical appliances like washing machine in 1920 starts at only 40% users which rose continuously till 1980 where it drop slightly down to 65% before reaching at approx 72% in 2019. Refrigerator in 1920 was at 0% users it increased drammatcally over the years and reached at its peak in 1980 and remain constant till 2019. Vaccum cleaner in 1920 was a 30% which then also rose sharply over the years and reached at its peak in 2000 and remain sustainable till 2019.
On other hand, number of hours per week data shows continue decline from 1920 till 2019. It dropped from 50 hours per week to 10 hours per week in over the years. It is evident that when electrical appliances users increased number of hours per week in household decrease like vice versa.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main trends and making appropriate comparisons between appliance ownership and the hours of housework. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the overall upward trend in appliance ownership and the downward trend in housework hours. However, the response contains some minor inaccuracies in reading the data, such as stating that refrigerators started at 0% in 1920 (the data shows 2%) and minor errors in specific percentages. Additionally, the phrasing 'amount of time people spent in doing housework' is slightly awkward. Nonetheless, the key features are adequately highlighted and supported, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs detailing the appliances and housework hours respectively. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Electrical appliances like...', and 'On other hand', though some transitions are somewhat mechanical or contain grammatical slips (e.g., 'On other hand'). Paragraphing is sufficient and appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response. Referencing is generally clear, and the logical progression allows the reader to follow the main comparisons easily, placing this firmly in the Band 6.0 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'drammatcally', 'continuously', and 'sustainable'. However, there are several spelling errors ('drammatcally', 'Vaccum') and instances of awkward word choice or collocation (e.g., 'appliances ownerships changes', 'users' instead of 'households'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general message, these persistent lexical inaccuracies and limitations restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('with number of hours', 'in household decrease'), tense and verb form errors ('changes the amount', 'starts at', 'where it drop slightly', 'was a 30%'), and preposition misuse ('in over the years'). These errors occasionally cause slight strain for the reader, although they do not entirely impede communication. Because simple sentences are generally more accurate while complex attempts tend to be faulty, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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