Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 figures below illustrate the changes in electrical appliances ownership in a household and the time spent doing housechores in household in a country during year 1920 to 2019. Overall, it highlights the main upward and downward trend and key differences among the given data.

Overall, it is clear that percentage of households that use electrical appliances increased upto 70% to 100% can be seen. By contrast, it has been observed that number of house chores decline steadily from 50% to 10% only.

The use of refrigerator in 1920 was at 0%. Meanwhile, vaccuum cleaner and washing machine had slight difference which is 30% and 40%. In 2019, usage of machine went upto 72% followed by 100% vaccum cleaner and refrigerator.

Looking closely at the second figure, number of hours of housework per week clearly showed a drastic downfall from 50% to 10%, while the years 1980 and 2000 remain same with 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between rising appliance ownership and falling housework time, and you include some relevant figures, such as the 30% and 40% appliance ownership in 1920 and the 15-hour plateau in 1980 and 2000. However, the overview is imprecise: “increased upto 70% to 100%” does not clearly summarise the different appliance trends, and housework is incorrectly described as falling from 50% to 10%, rather than from 50 to about 11 hours per week. Some details are also inaccurate or incomplete: refrigerator ownership was about 2%, not 0%, in 1920, and the washing-machine figure in 2019 was about 75%. To strengthen the report, compare the appliances’ distinct trajectories, including the refrigerator reaching full ownership by 1980 and the vacuum cleaner by 2000.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs covering appliance ownership and housework hours. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “By contrast” and “Looking closely at the second figure” signal a shift in focus. However, progression within the report is limited: the appliance paragraph jumps from 1920 directly to 2019, leaving the substantial changes in the intervening years unexplained. Some linking is also mechanical or unclear, particularly “Overall, it highlights the main upward and downward trend and key differences.” Improve cohesion by grouping the appliance trends and comparing their milestones in chronological order, then use a clear transition to the housework series.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “usage,” “steadily,” and “drastic downfall,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate for describing charts. “Electrical appliances ownership” and “housechores” are awkward, while “number of house chores decline” does not accurately describe a quantity of hours. Spelling errors such as “vaccuum” and “vaccum” also reduce control. Aim for precise, repeated chart language rather than vague phrases such as “the use of refrigerator” or “usage of machine”; for example, describe the proportion of households owning each appliance and the number of hours spent on housework.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including “By contrast, it has been observed that…” and “Looking closely at the second figure…”. The main message is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms are frequent enough to make parts awkward or unclear. For example, “The figures below illustrate … in a household and the time spent … in household” has problems with articles and number, while “number of house chores decline” has subject–verb agreement and tense issues. “The use of refrigerator in 1920 was at 0%” also needs a more accurate grammatical construction. Practise accurate noun phrases and agreement, and use straightforward past-tense sentences to report the historical data before attempting more complex structures.

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