Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-09

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 pie charts illustrate the proportions of people in the USA who ate junk food in restaurants between 2003 and 2013. Overall, people who ate junk food daily were very few just like those who never ate in fast food restaurants. People who ate once a week and those who once or twice a month dominated the table. In 2003, there was approximately less than 5% of people who ate fast food daily which showed a little fall in 2006 and remained the same by 2013. People who ate junk food several times a week accounted for above 15% which rose to 20% by 2006 and fell to almost 15% in 2013. The proportion of people who ate junk food once a week was slightly above 30% in number which reached the highest point which is below 35% and it showed a gradual decline by 2013 and reached below 30%. People who ate fast food once or twice a month accounted for 30% in 2003 which fell to 25% by 2006 and again showed a gradual rise and reached again the highest point. Similarly, people who ate it a few times a year were above 10% in 2003 which rose to 15% by 2006 and stayed constant in 2013. The proportion of people who never ate fast food in restaurants accounted for just 5% in 2003 which slightly fell in 2006 and remained unchanged by 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features and trends across the three years. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data from the charts. However, the response is presented as a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. To reach a higher band, ensure you group information logically rather than listing every category chronologically. For example, you could group the categories that showed a decline versus those that showed an increase. Additionally, ensure your comparisons are more explicit; instead of just listing percentages, highlight the most significant differences between the years.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The main issue here is the lack of paragraphing. A Task 1 response should be structured into at least three distinct parts: an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. By presenting the entire response as one paragraph, the logical flow is hindered. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Similarly' and 'Overall', the transition between the different categories is mechanical. To improve, use paragraph breaks to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis and use a wider variety of linking phrases to connect your comparisons more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, using terms like 'proportions', 'accounted for', and 'gradual decline'. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the reliance on 'ate junk food' and 'fast food restaurants'. To improve, try to use synonyms or paraphrasing to avoid repetition. There are also some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'showed a little fall' (a slight fall) and 'in number' (which is redundant when discussing percentages). Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and adverbs would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

Your grammar is generally accurate, and your meaning is clear throughout the response. You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'People who ate once a week and those who once or twice a month dominated the table.' There are occasional errors, such as 'there was approximately less than 5% of people' (there were) and 'reached again the highest point' (word order). While these errors do not impede communication, you should aim for more consistent control over subject-verb agreement and word order to reach a higher band.

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

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