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 line graphs depict ownership of electronic appliances specifically washing machine, vacuum cleaner and refrigerator and number of hours spent by this appliances for housechores per week from 1920 to 2019 .

Overall, all the three appliances showed increase in proportions at the beginning. However, vacuum cleaner and refrigerator was there in 100% of household which was the highest . The lowest was washing machine at 72%. Time spent by there appliances declined dramatically .

In 1920, 0% of the households owned refrigerator ,while vacuum cleaner and washing machine was owned by 30% and 40% of household respectively. The figure inclined rapidly. In 1960, the proportions of washing machine and vacuum cleaner was equal at 70% . The percentage of washing machine got declined to approx 62% in 1980. In the same year the figures of refrigerator attained its peak and got stable. After two decades , vacuum cleaner attained its peak and got stable.

In 1920, the usage of these appliances per week was 50 hours which rapidly declined and reached at 10 hours per week by 2019. It reduced by 5 times.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall patterns: appliance ownership generally rose, while weekly housework time fell. You also report useful comparisons, including the equal 70% ownership of washing machines and vacuum cleaners in 1960 and the refrigerator reaching its peak by 1980. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: refrigerators were at about 2%, not 0%, in 1920; their ownership reached 100% in 1980, rather than merely attaining a peak without a figure; and the final washing-machine figure was about 75%, not 72%. The overview also says all appliances increased “at the beginning,” overlooking the washing-machine dip after 1960. The housework figure is described as falling to 10 hours, whereas it was about 11. More precise reporting and a fuller overview would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for appliance ownership and housework time. This makes the main topics easy to locate, and time markers such as “In 1920,” “In 1960,” and “After two decades” help establish sequence. However, some links and references are unclear. “The figure inclined rapidly” does not specify which appliance or period, while “the figures of refrigerator attained its peak” is difficult to follow. The final paragraph shifts to housework but does not compare its decline with the appliance trends. Use clearer references, group related comparisons, and connect each paragraph’s details more explicitly to the overview.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of trend vocabulary, including “declined,” “attained its peak,” “stable,” and “proportions,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing these charts. “Hours spent by this appliances” suggests the appliances themselves spend time, and “the figure inclined rapidly” is not a natural way to describe a rising percentage. “Got declined” and “got stable” are also awkward collocations. There are spelling and form issues such as “housechores” and “proportions” where a singular form is needed. Aim for precise chart language such as “the proportion increased,” “levelled off,” and “housework hours fell,” while checking spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrast with “while” and time clauses such as “After two decades.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur and sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “vacuum cleaner and washing machine was owned” has subject–verb agreement and article problems; “the proportions … was equal” also needs agreement, and “reached at 10 hours” uses an incorrect preposition. The opening sentence has an incomplete or awkward structure, and punctuation spacing is inconsistent. Practise accurate plural subjects and verb forms, articles before singular countable nouns, and sentence patterns for describing figures. More consistently controlled sentences would make your comparisons clearer.

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