Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17

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 chart illustrates changes in ownership of electrical appliances and amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.

Overall, the number of households with washing machines were the highest at the start of period while refrigerator ranked the lowest. The number of hours of house work per week peaked at start but declined gradually.

In 1920, refrigerators were not own by anyone, but the figures rose since. In 1940 the percentage of households with a refrigerator went up to 60%. The proportion increased by 30% in 1960 and reached 90% which increased to a 100% in 1980 and remained stable till 2019. The vaccum cleaner was owned by a small portion of households in 1920. The figures kept increasing gradually and peaked in 2000 and 2019.

Moreover, the number of washing machines owned by households fluctuated over the period. It starded with 40% of households in 1920 which increased to 60% in 1940, 70% in 1960. Then it declined to 61% in 1980, 70% in 2000 again and approximately 72% in 2019. The numbers of hours of housework per week decreased from 50 in 1920 to 31 in 1940, 20 in 1980, 11 in 2000 and 10 in 2019.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide an introduction, an overview, and details for all four series, and you identify the broad patterns: appliance ownership generally rose while housework time fell. However, some figures and comparisons are inaccurate. Refrigerators were at about 2% in 1920, not absent, and reached about 55% in 1940 rather than 60%. Housework was about 20 hours in 1960, not 1980; it was around 15 hours in both 1980 and 2000, before falling to about 11 in 2019. The vacuum-cleaner account gives no figures, and the overview’s claim that washing machines were highest initially is not accurate: they were above refrigerators but below other series in 1920. More precise reporting of these features would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by appliance details and then housework figures. This makes the main subject easy to follow. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is sometimes uneven. The refrigerator and vacuum-cleaner information is combined without a clear comparison, and the vacuum-cleaner trend is only briefly stated. Linking phrases such as “Moreover” and “Then” help, but some connections are mechanical, while “which increased to a 100%” has an unclear reference. Grouping the appliance trends more systematically and using clearer references would improve cohesion. The overview also mentions the housework trend but does not compare its decline with the rise in appliance ownership.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “fluctuated,” “declined,” and “remained stable,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward choices that limit precision. “Refrigerators were not own by anyone” uses the wrong form and is not a natural way to describe household ownership; “the figures rose since” is also unclear. “The figures kept increasing gradually and peaked” is vague because it does not specify the vacuum cleaner’s final level. Spelling slips such as “vaccum” and “starded,” along with the inconsistent form “house work,” reduce accuracy. Choose standard collocations and report the appliance levels more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “while,” “which,” and “but,” and most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist. In “the number of households … were the highest,” the singular subject “number” requires “was”; “refrigerators were not own” needs a passive form such as “were not owned.” The phrase “which increased to a 100%” has an unclear grammatical reference, and “It started with 40% … which increased to 60%” is awkwardly joined. There are also tense and article issues in phrases such as “at start of period.” More accurate agreement, passive constructions, and sentence linking would improve control.

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