Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28

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 6.5)

The first table provides data on the proportion of households with a washing machine, refrigerator, and vacuum cleaner, and the second table represents the number of hours spent doing housework per week in a country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, it is clear that vacuum cleaners showed the highest proportion of ownership till the last year. While the hours spending on housework declined gradually by the end.

In detail, refrigerator ownership was only 1% in 1920, but it surged dramatically to reach 90% in 1960. Subsequently, it remained stable from 1980 to 2000, with a slight increase of about 10% between 1960 and 1980. Whereas 30% was represented by vacuum cleaners in 1920, this rose considerably to reach 100% in 2000, then flattened till 2019. Moreover, washing machines began at 40%, then rose to 70% in 1960, and then reached just above 70% in 2019, before a slight decline to roughly 62% in 1980.

However, households spent an average of 50 hours per week on housework in 1920, which was the highest figure recorded during the period. The trend then dropped significantly to 20 hours in 1960, and lastly, the figure further fell to nearly 10 hours per week by 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both charts and making relevant comparisons. The overview captures the key trends effectively, noting the dominant appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. Data points are cited with reasonable accuracy (e.g., refrigerator ownership rising to 90% in 1960 and housework dropping to 11 hours in 2019). However, there is a minor error in stating that vacuum cleaners had the highest proportion of ownership 'till the last year' when refrigerators and vacuum cleaners both reached 100% in 2000 and 2019. Despite this minor factual slip, the response provides a well-developed and clear summary, easily meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, details of appliance ownership, and details of housework hours. There is a clear progression of ideas from start to finish. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to connect sentences and clauses (e.g., 'Overall', 'In detail', 'Subsequently', 'Whereas', 'Moreover', 'However'). Paragraphing is sufficient and appropriate, separating the introduction/overview from the body paragraphs effectively. Referencing and substitution are handled well, ensuring the reader can easily follow the comparisons made between the different appliances and years.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common lexical items such as 'proportion', 'surged dramatically', 'flattened', and 'significantly'. There are some slight lexical inaccuracies, such as 'hours spending' instead of 'hours spent', and a minor data misinterpretation regarding vacuum cleaners being the highest until the last year. However, word choices are generally appropriate for conveying statistical trends and changes over time, and spelling is accurate throughout, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures (e.g., 'While the hours spending on housework declined gradually by the end', 'refrigerator ownership was only 1% in 1920, but it surged dramatically...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, and control of grammar and punctuation is generally sound. Minor errors do occur, such as the gerund phrase 'hours spending' instead of 'time spent', but these errors do not impede communication. The grammatical structures used allow for clear comparisons and descriptions, supporting a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0 performance.

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.