Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-27
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 charts illustrate the data on electrical appliances ownership and number of hours spent in housework in homes from 1920 to 2019.
Overall, proportion of refrigerator ownership surged dramatically in early period of the timeline and vacuum cleaner ownership shows upward steady movement over the period. Number of hours of housework fell drastically from 1920 to 2019.
Washing machines in 1920 accounted for 40% of the household and reached its highest point at 70% before falling down around at 60%. Furthermore, refrigerators spiked at 55% in 1940 and reached its highest point at 100% in 1980. On the other hand, vacuum cleaner were at 30% in early period of the timeline and after a steady moment over the timeline reached at highest point of 100% in 2000.
Numbere of hours of housework per week were at 50% in 1920 and fell drastically at 20% in 1960 and reached its lowest point to 10% in 2019.
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 student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both charts and making relevant comparisons across the timeframe of 1920 to 2019. An adequate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key trends such as the surge in refrigerators and the decline in housework hours. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or omissions in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that washing machines 'reached its highest point at 70% before falling down around at 60%', whereas the chart shows it finishing at 75% in 2019. Similarly, housework hours are reported as percentages ('at 50%... at 20%... to 10%') rather than hours per week. Despite these lapses, the response presents a clear summary of the core information.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory statement to an overview, followed by specific data for appliances and finally housework hours. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different elements of the task. However, cohesive devices and referencing are sometimes mechanical or faulty. Phrases like 'Furthermore' and 'On the other hand' are used, but logical transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. Additionally, referencing errors such as 'reached its highest point' when referring to plural subjects like 'washing machines' create minor disruptions in cohesion. Overall, the information is organized adequately for the reader to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'ownership', 'appliance', 'surged dramatically', and 'drastically'. There are, however, several word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the response. For example, 'electrical appliances ownership' should be 'ownership of electrical appliances', 'steady moment' should be 'steady movement', and 'Numbere' contains a spelling error. The student attempts less common vocabulary with varying degrees of success. While these lexical errors do not impede communication, they restrict the score to a Band 6 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'while vacuum cleaner ownership shows upward steady movement over the period.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly involving singular/plural agreement and prepositions. Examples include 'proportion of refrigerator ownership surged' (missing an article), 'Washing machines in 1920 accounted for 40% of the household' (should be households), and 'fell drastically at 20%' (should be to 20%). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the grammatical inaccuracies in basic and complex structures mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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