Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-29

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 given chart illustrates changes in percentage of households with electrical appliances over the time period of 1920 to 2019.

Overall, a gradual increase is seen in the percentile of electrical appliances. whereas, there is decrease in the value of hours of housework.

To begin with, it is evident that refrigerator experienced an upward trend in the initial years and somehow it stayed constant between 1980 to 2000. However, other appliances such as washing machine and vacuum cleaner also faced drastic changes over years. To sum up, the use of vacuum cleaner remained through all the years.

On the other hand, the percentage of number of hours decreased with the years, this can be explained by following reasons. Humans worked around 50 hours per week in 1920, and in 1940, there was a sudden drop in the value. Moreover, the hours remained constant in 1980 and in 2000. Lastly, in 2019 number of hours per week was around 10.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between rising appliance ownership and falling housework hours, and you correctly note that refrigerator ownership levelled off after reaching full coverage. However, the appliance trends are only described generally: “drastic changes” does not show how the three lines compare, and the claim that vacuum-cleaner use “remained through all the years” is unclear. Include key figures, such as refrigerators rising from almost none to 100%, vacuum cleaners reaching 100% by 2000, and washing machines fluctuating slightly after 1960. The housework section gives useful endpoints and notes the plateau from 1980 to 2000, but the 1940 drop is not quantified. Also avoid explaining causes; the task asks you to report chart information, not speculate about why it changed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a brief overview, and separate discussion of appliance ownership and housework hours. This makes the main contrast reasonably easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “To begin with” and “On the other hand” help signal movement between topics, although “To sum up” appears in the middle of the response and does not introduce a genuine conclusion. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly “this can be explained by following reasons,” which shifts the paragraph toward unsupported explanation rather than chart description. Improve progression by grouping the appliance series together, then describing the hours trend, and use transitions that show comparisons or time changes precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-related terms, including “upward trend,” “stayed constant,” “gradual increase,” and “sudden drop,” so the reader can understand the general patterns. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing data. “Percentile of electrical appliances” is not the right term for the proportion of households, and “the percentage of number of hours” confuses a percentage with a quantity of time. “The use of vacuum cleaner remained through all the years” is also unclear. Prefer precise expressions such as “the proportion of households owning each appliance” and “weekly housework hours.” Avoid vague phrases like “drastic changes” when you can name the direction and scale of a trend.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a time clause beginning “when.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some errors in sentence construction and punctuation reduce control. For example, “Overall, a gradual increase is seen … . whereas” incorrectly separates the contrast and leaves “whereas” in lower case after a full stop; combine the ideas or use a semicolon. In “the percentage of number of hours decreased,” the grammatical structure is incomplete and confusing. There are also inconsistent article and number patterns, as in “refrigerator experienced” and “other appliances … faced.” Use clear subjects and consistent past-tense reporting, such as “Refrigerator ownership rose” and “housework hours fell.”

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