Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The charts illustrate the percentages of households owning different electrical appliances and their spending time in housework per week from 1920 to 2019. Overall, the usage of different electrical appliances showed an upward trend. The use of Refrigerator showed prominent elevation, starting at almost 0% in 1920 it reached 100% within 1980. The percentage of households using vacuum cleaner also increased considerably. Starting at 30% in 1920 it has gone upto 100% in 2000. The use of washing machine was already considerably better than the other two with almost 40% in the year 1920 which took a progress to 70% in 1980 and after a

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the main upward movement in appliance ownership and give relevant figures for refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and washing machines. However, the response is incomplete: it stops mid-sentence at “after a” and does not report the housework-hours graph, a major part of the task. The overview also misses the key contrast that weekly housework fell substantially, from 50 hours to 11, while appliance ownership generally rose. Some details are imprecise: refrigerators reached 100% by 1980, but “within 1980” is unclear, and washing-machine ownership dipped after 1960 before rising again. The response is also 45 words below the required minimum. To improve, cover both graphs, give a concise overview of their contrasting trends, and complete the comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic sequence: an introduction is followed by an overview and then details about individual appliances. This gives the reader some sense of direction, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Starting at” help signal the movement through the data. However, the response ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence, so the progression is not completed. The housework data is omitted, leaving the two charts unconnected, and the appliance details are presented as separate statements rather than organised comparisons. For clearer cohesion, group the appliance trends together, then compare them with the decline in housework hours, using linking phrases such as “By contrast” and “Meanwhile.” A complete final sentence and a concluding comparison would also make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “upward trend,” “increased considerably,” and “reached 100%.” These choices make the general direction understandable, and the response uses appropriate terms such as “percentages” and “households.” Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, however: “their spending time in housework” is not a natural way to describe the second chart, while “prominent elevation” and “took a progress” are awkward collocations. “Usage” also suggests appliance use rather than household ownership, which is what the chart measures. Aim for precise chart language such as “ownership,” “rose,” “increased,” and “the time spent on housework.” Check forms such as “up to” rather than “upto,” and avoid repeating “the use of” when describing ownership.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the opening sentence and the clause beginning “Starting at 30% in 1920.” The main trends are generally understandable, but several grammatical problems reduce control. In the first sentence, “their spending time” has an unclear possessive construction; write “the time households spent on housework.” The phrase “starting at almost 0% in 1920 it reached 100%” needs punctuation or a conjunction between the clauses. “It has gone” also shifts to the present perfect when the chart describes a completed period ending in 2019; use the past simple, “it rose.” The final sentence is unfinished, so its structure cannot be completed. Practise accurate clause boundaries and consistent past-tense reporting while retaining varied sentence patterns.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.