Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-07-24

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 graph illustrates the information about the consumption of fast food at food restaurants by USA citizens between 2003 to 2013.

Overall, we can observed that there was drastic changes over the year. The frequency of eating outside home has dramatically increased once a week and once or twice a month. It has increased with the interval of time.

At first , the consumption was less than 5% everyday. People don't prefer having everyday. But people have had several time in a week about 20 % by 2006. The habit of eating food at restaurant had become frequent during the year 2013. About 32% of people during 2006 had move frequent once in a week and which is decreased to 25% in the categories at once a month .

In contrast, there are less percentage of people who ate outside during a few times a year but there are less than 5% only who had never eaten. We got to know the huge differences during these years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response attempts to summarise the data but fails to provide a clear or accurate overview of the main trends. While it identifies that changes occurred, the specific descriptions of the data are often confusing or inaccurate (e.g., claiming 32% of people moved to 'once a week' in 2006, which does not align with the provided chart). The report lacks a systematic approach to comparing the categories, and the data points mentioned are frequently misquoted or poorly contextualised. To improve, focus on selecting the most significant data points—such as the highest and lowest categories—and describing them with precision rather than attempting to list every minor fluctuation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is weak. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the phrase 'At first' is used to introduce data from 2003, but the subsequent sentences do not follow a clear chronological or thematic flow. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the different frequency categories. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'drastic changes over the year' (when referring to a decade) and 'interval of time'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles to use precise terminology to describe trends (e.g., 'less percentage of people' instead of 'a smaller proportion'). To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more academic collocations and precise descriptors for data, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'a significant proportion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'we can observed'), tense usage (e.g., 'had move frequent'), and article usage. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'which is decreased to 25% in the categories at once a month'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tenses would help improve the overall accuracy.

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