Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 two line charts present the information on percentage of household with eletrcial appliances, namely washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, and the number of hours spent on housework per week per household from 1920 till 2019.

We can oberve from the first chart that almost no household had a refrigerator in 1920 however the percentage of household owning one increases quadratically to become a common electrical appliance since the 1980s. In the case of vaccum cleaners around 30% of the household had them in the 1920s and their percentage increases almost linearly to become a common appliance to own since the 2000s. As the for the washing machine around 40% households owned one to begin with but chart shows they still are not a common appliance to own even in the 2019.

The second chart shows the hours of housework per week per household has become 11 hours in 2019, nearly one fifth of what they used to be in the 1920.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two charts and report several relevant trends, including the refrigerator’s rise from almost no ownership to full ownership and the decline in housework hours. However, the task is only partly covered because the overview is not clearly stated and several comparisons are missing. The washing-machine description is misleading: ownership rose from about 40% to 75%, so it was not accurate to say it was still “not a common appliance” in 2019. You also omit the key endpoint that refrigerators reached 100% by 1980 and vacuum cleaners by 2000, and give little detail about the housework trend between the years. State the main overall patterns clearly, then support them with accurate comparisons and selected figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable order: it introduces both charts, discusses the three appliances, and then turns to housework. Linking expressions such as “however,” “In the case of,” and “As for” help signal changes in focus. However, the progression is somewhat compressed, with most appliance information placed in one long paragraph and the second chart reduced to a single sentence. The contrast between the appliance trends and falling housework hours is not developed, and some transitions feel mechanical. Use a distinct overview followed by logically grouped details—for example, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners together, then washing machines and housework—and make the relationships between the figures clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “increases,” “common electrical appliance,” and “hours … per week.” These choices make the general subject clear, but range and precision are uneven. “Increases quadratically” is an unsuitable description of the refrigerator trend, while “common appliance to own” is repeated and imprecise. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “eletrcial,” “oberve,” and “vaccum,” which reduce the accuracy of the presentation. Aim for precise trend language such as “rose sharply,” “levelled off,” and “reached full ownership,” and use “households” consistently when describing proportions. Proofreading spelling and collocations would make your vocabulary more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including a contrast with “however” and a longer sentence describing the vacuum-cleaner trend. Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “percentage of household” needs a plural or possessive form, and “the hours of housework … has become 11 hours” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an awkward construction. “As the for” is also an incorrect phrase, and the sentence beginning “In the case of vacuum cleaners” would benefit from clearer clause structure. Practise accurate articles, plurals, agreement, and sentence boundaries while retaining some complex structures. A careful edit for these patterns would improve clarity.

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