Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-04

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 describe how frequently people in USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

In the bar chart the percentage of people are from 0%-40%. The date is give in people who eat everyday, several times a week, once or twice a week, a few times a year and never. In 2003 and 2006 people mostly eat once a week.

The evaluation of people whole eat everyday and never are almost same which is under 5% in year 2003 to 2013. Where as people eat several times a week is increase in 2006 by 20% and in in 2013 it get decline by 16%. People whole eat once a week is highest in 2003 by 31% and also in 2006 which is 33%. While people eat once or twice a week has most in 2013 and in 2nd 2003. At last people eat fast food a few times a year is moderate where in year 2006 and 2013 has same 15% of people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as identifying the highest categories and noting trends over time. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear overview or summary of the most significant trends. The description of the data is occasionally inaccurate, such as the claim that 'people mostly eat once a week' in 2003 and 2006, which ignores the higher percentages in other categories. The report would benefit from a more analytical approach that groups data points logically rather than listing them sequentially. While all parts of the task are addressed, the lack of a clear summary and some imprecise reporting of figures limit the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'At last' to introduce the final category or 'Where as' used incorrectly to start a sentence. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, making it difficult to follow the comparison between years. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the categories. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the flow of the writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic verbs like 'eat' and 'is'. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'The date is give in people' instead of 'The data is presented in terms of people' and 'get decline' instead of 'declined'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate precision, and the phrasing often sounds unnatural. To improve, you should focus on using a wider variety of verbs to describe trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'peaked') and nouns to describe the data (e.g., 'proportion', 'frequency', 'category').

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement ('The bar chart describe', 'people... is increase'), article usage, and sentence structure. Many sentences are simple, and attempts at more complex structures often result in errors, such as 'People whole eat once a week is highest'. Punctuation is also inconsistent. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.

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