Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-20

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 5.0)

The Line graph gives information about the metamorphosis of the time electrical appliances spent in order to clean houses in a country over a 99 year time period.

First of all, in 1920, almost no one owned a Refrigerator or any washing machine as well as vacuum cleaner. So everyone was forced to do their chores without the comfort of electrical tools, and it took them 50 hours to do household work. Then, soon after, 30% of people have vaccume cleaner, and 40% of them had their own washing machine, which saved their time and energy. Additionally, in 1940, approximately 50% of them managed to buy a vacuum cleaner, 55% of them had their own refrigerator, and almost 60% of them had a washing machine. This advancement saved everyone's time by 23%. The number of people having these items surged, and in 2019 almost everyone of them have vacuum cleaner and a refrigerator. This advancement helped people save thier lot of time, almost 10 hours per week spent on housework.

Meanwhile, the popularity of washing machines decreased a bit in 1980 by 3% and then increased slowly by 5%, and almost 72% of people had their own washing machine in 2019.

Overall, the popularity of electrical tools for housework increased over time, while people developed their interests in other things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main features of the charts, noting the trends in appliance ownership and weekly housework hours. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies regarding the starting data. For instance, the student states that in 1920 'almost no one owned a Refrigerator or any washing machine as well as vacuum cleaner,' yet the provided data indicates that 40% owned washing machines and 30% owned vacuum cleaners in 1920. Additionally, the description of the trends lacks a cohesive overview of the overall changes across the 99-year period. While some main features are reported, the misreading of specific data points and the absence of a clear, overarching summary restrict the response to a Band 5.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body paragraphs for details, and a brief conclusion. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and confusing sentence sequencing. For example, jumping between different appliances and years without a clear comparative structure makes the argument difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically (e.g., 'First of all', 'Then, soon after', 'Meanwhile'), and referencing is occasionally unclear. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion of the body paragraphs lacks smooth progression, placing this criterion solidly in the Band 5.0 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is somewhat limited and contains inappropriate lexical choices, such as 'metamorphosis of the time electrical appliances spent' and 'almost everyone of them have'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in word choice and collocation are frequent. Words are occasionally misused, such as 'popularity' applied to appliance ownership in a mechanical sense. However, the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the general topic, earning a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple and error-prone complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('people have vaccume cleaner', 'almost everyone of them have'), tense inconsistencies, and awkward phrasing ('the time electrical appliances spent in order to clean houses'). Punctuation and article usage are also faulty in several places. These errors frequently cause strain for the reader, aligning the grammar score with Band 5.0.

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.