Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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 6.0)

The line chart depicts the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and the amount of time spent doing housework in one country from 1920 to 2019.

Overall, it is clear that the usage of electrical appliances increased dramatically over time; in contrast, the number of hours per week spent on housework declined significantly.

In 1920, the sharpest rise was recorded in refrigerators, which grew from 0% to 100% over the period. However, the usage of washing machines was 40% initially, as compared to vacuum cleaners which were 30%. Additionally, the usage of vacuum cleaners soared to 100% in 2019. In contrast, the utilization of washing machines stood at just over 70% from 1920 to 2019.

The significant decline was recorded in the number of hours per week. Initially, the 50 hours per week in housework were documented in 1920, which plummeted to 20 hours per week in 1960. Meanwhile, the graph fluctuated slightly and it came to an end in 2019 at almost 10 hours per week due to increased in usage electrical appliances usage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by presenting an overview of the trends and reporting the main features of both charts. The opening paraphrases the prompt effectively, and the overview captures the inverse relationship between appliance ownership and housework hours. Key data points are selected and reported, such as refrigerators and vacuum cleaners reaching 100% by 2019 and housework hours dropping from 50 to 11. However, there are a few minor factual inaccuracies or awkward phrasing regarding the data; for instance, stating that refrigerators 'grew from 0% to 100%' when the chart shows 2% in 1920, and claiming that washing machines stood at 'just over 70% from 1920 to 2019' when they fluctuated and ended at 75%. Overall, the response addresses the prompt well with clear comparisons, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a body paragraph for appliance ownership, and a body paragraph for housework hours. Cohesive devices are used adequately to signal contrasts and sequences, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Initially', and 'Meanwhile'. However, paragraphing and referencing can feel slightly mechanical, and the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward transitions or minor phrasing issues. For instance, the transition in the final sentence ('due to increased in usage electrical appliances usage') breaks the logical progression of the sentence. Nevertheless, there is a clear overall arrangement and logical progression, which satisfies the requirements for Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'utilization', 'plummeted', and 'fluctuated'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocational errors that detract from precision. Examples include 'increased in usage electrical appliances usage' (which contains grammatical and lexical repetition/clunkiness) and inaccuracies in describing trends, such as stating refrigerators grew 'from 0%' instead of 2%. Word choice is sometimes repetitive (e.g., overusing 'usage'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main trends, the presence of these errors and lack of sophisticated control place this criterion firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative constructions ('as compared to vacuum cleaners which were 30%'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout, such as 'the 50 hours per week in housework were documented', 'due to increased in usage electrical appliances usage', and missing prepositions or articles. Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, and the basic meaning remains clear. The control of grammar shows a mixture of error-free simple sentences and flawed complex attempts, which aligns closely with the Band 6 descriptors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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