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 washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners, 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 until the last year. Whereas the hours spent on housework declined gradually by the end of the period.

In detail, refrigerator ownership was only 1% in 1920, but it rose sharply 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 plateaued 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.

Regarding housework, 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 response covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and successfully reporting the main features of both charts. The student appropriately notes the general trends in appliance ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the student states that refrigerator ownership was 1% in 1920 (the visual data shows approximately 2%) and misinterprets the washing machine trend slightly by stating there was a decline to 62% in 1980 when it actually rose to around 65% from a previous figure. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall response is well-supported with relevant data and fulfills the requirements of Task 1 effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an effective introductory paragraph, followed by a clear overview paragraph, and then well-defined body paragraphs dedicated to appliance ownership and housework hours respectively. Cohesive devices are used adequately and generally appropriately, such as 'Overall', 'In detail', 'Subsequently', and 'Regarding housework'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct themes. While some of the transitions could be smoother, referencing is mostly clear, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited for this task, using functional terms such as 'proportion', 'ownership', 'plateaued', and 'decline gradually'. There are successful attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'considerably' and 'subsequently'. However, some word choices and phrasing are slightly awkward or imprecise, such as '30% was represented by vacuum cleaners'. Minor inaccuracies in collocation and vocabulary choice occur, but they do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6.5 to 7 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and varied connectors effectively. Grammatical control is generally good, with a number of error-free sentences produced throughout the text (e.g., 'households spent an average of 50 hours per week on housework in 1920, which was the highest figure recorded during the period'). While minor errors and slightly clunky phrasings occur, they do not impede communication or obscure the meaning. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and structure the response.

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