Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-07-30

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 percentage of people how preferred in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, it is clear that most of the people ate fast food in a week or twice a month in all three years. While, eating fast food every day or never was the least common habit .

In 2003, around 30% of people ate fast food in a week it is a most common frequency. This figure slightly increased to around 32% in 2006 before falling to approximately, 27% in 2013. In contrast by comparing the percentage of people who ate fast food once or twice a week to around 30% in 2003, then dropped to around 25% in 2006, and then rose to approximately 33% in 2013.

In contrast, approximately 17% of people ate fast food in a several times a week in 2003.While, this figure increased to roughly 20% in 2006, and then dramatically declined to around 15%. Moreover, only a very small percentage of people ate fast food every day or never with both categories remaining lowest 5% through the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your summary. You covered all categories shown in the chart and made appropriate comparisons between years. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting; for instance, you mention 'once or twice a week' reaching 33% in 2013, but the chart labels are slightly ambiguous, and your interpretation of the data categories could be more precise. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data selection is perfectly aligned with the graph's labels and that your overview highlights the most significant shifts more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific data trends. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Moreover', and 'While', which help the flow of information. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the sentence structure within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the phrase 'While, eating fast food...' is punctuated incorrectly, which disrupts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring correct punctuation will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'illustrates', 'increased', 'declined', and 'dramatically'. However, there are some awkward phrasings, such as 'people how preferred' (likely a typo for 'who preferred') and 'in a several times a week', which are grammatically and lexically imprecise. You rely on basic descriptors for trends. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and ensure that your word choices are grammatically accurate within the context of the sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally hinder readability. For example, 'most of the people ate fast food in a week or twice a month' is confusing, and there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'in a several times'). Additionally, the punctuation around 'approximately, 27%' is incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of articles and prepositions.

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