Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the information about the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants among individuals in the USA from 2003 to 2013. the units are given in percentages.

Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that once a week reached the highest percentages of people, while every day and never recorded the smallest figures.

To begin with, it is evident once a week in 2006 accounted for approximately 33% of the total, whereas it was higher by 5 percentage points in 2013, which occupied 28%. Moreover, a few times a year in 2006 and 2013 had the narrowest gap, making up 15% and 15%. Additionally, never in 2006 and 2013 were broadly similar, representing roughly 4% each.

By contrast, once or twice a month in 2013 represented approximately 33%, while it was less than 3 percentage points in 2003, which occupied 30% . The largest disparity can be observed between once or twice a month in 2006 and every day in 2003, at 25% and 4%. it is worth highlighting that several times a week in 2013 was half of once or twice a month in in 2003, the figures were approximately 15% and 30% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. You have identified key trends, such as the popularity of eating out 'once a week' and the stability of 'never' eating out. However, the data interpretation is occasionally confusing. For example, you state that 'once a week' in 2006 was 33% and in 2013 it was 28%, but the chart shows 33% in 2006 and 31% in 2013. Additionally, the comparison between 2006 and 2003 data is sometimes unclear due to the way the years are grouped. To improve, ensure data accuracy and focus on clearer grouping of trends over the decade.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'By contrast' to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'it was higher by 5 percentage points in 2013, which occupied 28%'. The referencing is occasionally mechanical, and the progression between sentences could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal logic within the body paragraphs needs more careful structuring to ensure the reader follows the comparisons easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'frequency', 'disparity', and 'percentage points'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'the units are given in percentages' (which is slightly redundant) and 'the narrowest gap' when describing identical figures. You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, but the precision is inconsistent. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations more naturally and ensuring that descriptive phrases accurately reflect the data presented in the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing capitalization at the start of sentences ('the units...', 'it is worth...'), and some awkward sentence constructions like 'it was higher by 5 percentage points in 2013, which occupied 28%'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic punctuation and capitalization errors would significantly improve your score.

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