Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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 line graph provides a comparison between the amount of time spent by individuals in housework and the number of appliances used in these houses in a country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners accounted for the largest category in all households, while washing machines were the least used appliance. In contrast, the number of hours spent everyweek doing housework declined.

In 1920, washing machines were the highest used appliance in homes, approximately 40%, it increased slightly, before declining to 65% in 1980 and then rose slightly to a maximum. Meanwhile, vacuum cleaner was the second mostly used appliance, making up 30%, which then surged to 100% by end of 2019. In contrast, refrigerator was the least used appliance almost 1% in 1920, then grew significantly till 1960, by the end of period it reached100% , becoming the highest used appliance in 2019.

Due the increased use of household appliances, the number of hours people spent in doing housework reduce. Firstly individuals spent 50 hours per week but then declined to 10% by the end of 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the charts, providing an overview and mentioning data points like percentages and hours. However, the task is only partially achieved due to inaccuracies in data reporting and underdeveloped comparisons. For instance, the student states that washing machines were the 'highest used appliance in homes, approximately 40%' in 1920, whereas the visual data shows washing machines were at 40% while vacuum cleaners were at 30% and refrigerators at 2%. Furthermore, the description of appliance trends contains confusions regarding which item reached 100% and when, such as claiming the refrigerator was 'almost 1% in 1920' (it was 2%) and misinterpreting the hours metric at the end, stating it declined to '10%' instead of 11 hours. Ideas are present, but the lack of accurate data selection and some confusion in tracking the trends limit the effectiveness of the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident with a clear introduction and paragraph breaks corresponding to different parts of the data. However, overall progression is limited, and the logical flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by mechanical or inaccurate cohesive devices. For example, transitional phrases like 'In contrast' and 'Firstly' are used in contexts that do not logically contrast the preceding information or structure the argument smoothly. Referencing is also sometimes unclear, such as pronoun use or loose connections between the appliance trends and the reduction in housework hours. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion requires better linking to guide the reader through the comparisons effectively.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'declined', 'surged', and 'grow significantly'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward phrasing throughout the text, including 'highest used appliance' instead of most commonly used or owned, and 'in housework' rather than on housework. There are also slight inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that cause minor strain for the reader, reflecting a vocabulary control that is sufficient for basic communication but restricted in precision and variety for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex forms, with attempts at complex structures frequently resulting in faulty grammar. Examples of errors include run-on structures and comma splices, such as '...approximately 40%, it increased slightly, before declining...'. There are also structural errors like 'Due the increased use' (missing 'to') and 'people spent in doing housework reduce' (tense/agreement error). Frequent grammatical errors across clauses and prepositional patterns occur, though the overall meaning remains decipherable despite the difficulty they sometimes cause the reader.

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

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