Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar chart gives information about how frequency of eating at fast food restuarants among people in the USA from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, the highest percentages of fast food eaters belonged to people who ate once in a week and thoes who ate around once or twice in a month , while the lowest portion belonged to people who ate every day in restaurants.

In 2003, the amount of people who ate daily in fast foods made up at 4% , it decline slightly in 2006 by 1% ,then it remained stable in 2013. thoes who ate fast food weekly was around 16% of people , it increased around 20% ,the bar decreased in 2013 with approximitly 16% . simiraly to those who ate once in a week but with higher percentages about 31% , 34% and 27% in 2003 , 2006 and 2013 respectively. people who monthly consume fast food compromised around 30% , it dropped to 25% and went up to about 37% of people in the end of the period . others had only low proportion such as those who only ate few times in a year or who never ate there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad pattern that weekly and monthly visits account for the largest shares, and daily eating is among the least common. However, several figures are misreported: the weekly category is about 17%, 20% and 16%, not 16%, 20% and 16%; once a week is about 31%, 33% and 28%; and monthly eating reaches about 33% in 2013, not 37%. The overview also omits the notable shift from once-a-week visits being highest in 2006 to monthly visits being highest in 2013. The final sentence mentions yearly and never eating but gives no comparison or figures. More accurate selection and reporting of the main changes would make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview and a paragraph of figures. This helps the reader recognise the purpose of each section. However, the data paragraph moves through categories in a crowded sequence, with several ideas joined by commas rather than clearly separated. For example, the account of daily and weekly eating runs into the comparison for once-a-week eating, making the relationships between figures less clear. Linking words such as “similarly” are attempted, but the comparison they introduce is not fully precise. The final sentence is also abrupt and does not develop the remaining categories. Grouping related trends into clearer sentences and using explicit comparisons would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentages,” “remained stable,” “decreased” and “proportion,” so the reader can generally understand the categories and trends. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “the amount of people,” “made up at 4%,” and “compromised around 30%.” Spelling errors, including “restuarants,” “thoes,” “simiraly” and “approximitly,” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the report. Try to use standard chart language consistently, such as “the proportion of people,” “accounted for,” and “approximately.” More precise verbs for rises, falls and comparisons would also help avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “who,” but control is uneven. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur in examples such as “it decline slightly,” “it increased around 20%,” and “people who monthly consume fast food compromised.” Several long sentences are joined with commas, as in the sequence beginning “In 2003, the amount of people…,” which makes the relationships between clauses difficult to follow. Articles, prepositions and punctuation are also inconsistent. These errors sometimes make the intended comparison less clear. Practise forming shorter, complete sentences with accurate past-tense verbs, then combine them selectively using conjunctions.

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