Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-15
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 illustrates how oftenly people in the United States ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013.
Overall, the bars show the data of three years which are 2003,2006 and 2013. People who visited restaurants were recorded highest proportion for "once a week" or "once or twice a month. Group of people who ate out in several times a week or a few times a year has average percentage. However, the remaining coummunity who visit restuarents every day or never go out for eating have the fewest percentages.
Most significant percentages of people who go for delicious food once a week is between 25% and 35%. Similarly, the community who go out once or twice a month starting percentage was 25% in 2006 and 35% in 2013. Locals who visit takeaway several times a week was only 15% to 20%. Likewise, a few times a year records showed around 10% to 15% people go-to restuarent.
On the other hand, a community never go out for eanting is presents less than 5% of total polution. Socialable group who went out every day was less than 5%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the most frequent and least frequent categories. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the years 2003, 2006, and 2013, the description of trends is inconsistent. For instance, you state that the percentage for 'once a week' is between 25% and 35%, but the data shows a decline from 2003 to 2013. The comparison between categories is present but lacks precision, and some data points are described vaguely. To improve, ensure that you clearly distinguish between the trends over time and the static comparisons between categories, and verify that your data reporting is accurate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression is sometimes hampered by awkward phrasing and a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices. While you use transition words like 'Overall' and 'On the other hand', the internal flow within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. For example, the transition between the general overview and the specific data points could be smoother. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the mechanical use of some connectors makes the writing feel a bit repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several spelling errors, such as 'how oftenly' (how often), 'coummunity' (community), 'restuarents' (restaurants), 'eanting' (eating), and 'polution' (population). Additionally, some word choices are unnatural, such as 'delicious food' to describe fast food, which is not an objective description. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic descriptors. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'witnessed a decline') and ensure accurate spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a community never go out'), incorrect word forms (e.g., 'how oftenly'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips will help improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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