Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-01

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 graph compares the proportion of households' ownership of electrical appliances and the number of hours of housework per week from 1920 to 2019.

Overall, the proportion of households owning electrical appliances increased over the period, but they followed different patterns. The number of hours spent on housework declined throughout the years.

Looking at the chart in more detail, it is evident that the percentage of households owning washing machines showed an increasing pattern, accounting for 40% in 1920 and increasing to a peak of 70% in 1960 before falling to 60% in 1980, and then increasing to 72%. Refrigerator-owning households were zero in 1920, increasing to 100% in 1980, and remained stable by 2019.

Vacuum cleaner was at 30% and increased to 100% as like

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two measures and give a relevant overview: appliance ownership generally rose, while housework time declined. However, the report is only partially complete and the overview does not capture the key endpoint clearly: refrigerators and vacuum cleaners both reached 100%, while housework fell from 50 to 11 hours. Some figures are inaccurate: washing-machine ownership was about 65%, not 60%, in 1980, and about 75%, rather than 72%, in 2019; refrigerators were about 2%, not zero, in 1920. The vacuum-cleaner account stops mid-sentence, and the housework data are not described in the detail. The response is also 23 words below the required minimum. Include a complete comparison of all series and their main changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and a detail paragraph. The overview also provides a useful contrast between rising appliance ownership and declining housework. However, progression breaks down in the final paragraph: the vacuum-cleaner sentence ends with “as like” and gives no complete comparison, while the housework series is not integrated into the details. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “Looking at the chart in more detail” help signal stages, but the report needs clearer sequencing across all four data series. Organise the details into complete comparisons—for example, appliances in one section and housework in another—and ensure every sentence is finished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “ownership,” “increased,” “peak” and “remained stable,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some repetition of “increasing” and “increased,” and several expressions are imprecise or awkward, such as “the proportion of households’ ownership” and “Refrigerator-owning households were zero.” The unfinished phrase “as like” also leaves the intended meaning unclear. Aim for accurate, natural collocations when describing percentages and trends, such as “the share of households with refrigerators” and “rose to.” A broader set of trend verbs and comparison phrases would make the account more precise and less repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce some clear sentences with subordinate clauses, such as “The number of hours spent on housework declined throughout the years” and the sentence describing washing-machine ownership. However, the range is limited, and errors or incomplete structures affect clarity. “Refrigerator-owning households were zero” does not form a clear grammatical comparison, while “Vacuum cleaner was at 30% and increased to 100% as like” is incomplete and has an unclear subject. The opening phrase “households’ ownership” also uses an awkward possessive construction. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense forms to report the historical data. Proofread punctuation and spacing as well.

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