Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-03

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 frequency with which USA citizens eat fast food in restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, it is clear that the highest percentage of people ate fast food during once a week and once a month.

To begin with, around 4% of people ate fast food daily in 2003, which was 2% higher than in both 2006 and 2013. The percentage of people who ate fast food several times a week was around 17% in 2003, while three years later it stood at 20% and by the end of 2013 reached slightly more than 15%. Additionally, in the first year period time approximately 31% of people ate fast food once a week, which increased by 2% three years later. However, after seven years it declined and stood at 28%.

Regarding the remaining categories, the percentage of people who ate fast food once or twice was 30% in 2003. The figure decreased to 25% in 2006 before increasing by 8% in 2013. Approximately 13% of people ate fast food a few times a year in 2003, while in remaining years the proportion was same at 15%. Similarly, only 5% of people never ate food fast in 2003, which later decreased by 1 % in other years.

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 presented in the chart and made appropriate comparisons between the years. However, the overview is slightly underdeveloped; while you mention the highest percentages, you could improve by highlighting the most significant overall trend (e.g., the general stability or fluctuations across the decade). The data interpretation is accurate, though ensure that all figures are clearly linked to the specific years to avoid any ambiguity for the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Additionally', and 'Regarding the remaining categories' to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different groups of data. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother; some sentences feel slightly disconnected. Additionally, ensure that referencing is precise, as some phrases like 'in the first year period time' are slightly awkward and could be replaced with more natural cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'proportion', and 'categories'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'ate food fast' instead of 'ate fast food' and 'in remaining years the proportion was same', which lacks an article. While you successfully convey the information, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'surged') to demonstrate more flexibility and precision in your reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'ate fast food during once a week' (should be 'once a week') and 'the proportion was same' (should be 'the same'). Additionally, there are minor issues with preposition usage and article omission. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve the overall accuracy of your writing.

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

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