Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-18
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 the percentage of people eating at fast food restaurants in the USA from 2003 to 2013.
Overall, most of the people east fast food once a week or once or twice a month over the period. Meanwhile, nearly half of the population eat several times a week or a few times a year. In contrast, only few people prefer eating everyday or some eat never in their life.
It is evident that approximately 32% people eat once a week in 2003, it figures fell to 28% in 2013 despite showing a rise in 2006. Similar trend was shown in once or twice a month. Moreover, 20% of people eat several time a week in 2006 and declines to 16% in 2013. 13% people eat fast food a few times a year in 2003 which rose to 15% in 2006 and remain constant over the time.
Smallest fraction was seen in people who eat every day which was less than 5% over the time, while people who never were 5% people and drop in the following year.
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 provides a clear overview of the main trends and selects relevant data points to support the summary. You successfully identified the most frequent categories and noted the general decline or stability in others. However, the report lacks precision in some areas; for instance, you mention 'similar trend was shown in once or twice a month' without providing specific data to support this comparison. Additionally, some data points are slightly inaccurate or vague, such as 'some eat never in their life'. To reach a higher band, ensure that every trend mentioned is backed by specific figures from the chart and avoid vague generalizations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'In contrast', and 'Moreover' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing trends without explicitly linking them back to the specific categories mentioned earlier. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'illustrates', 'percentage', 'population', and 'fraction'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'most of the people east fast food' (should be 'eat') and 'it figures fell' (should be 'the figures fell'). There is also a lack of variety in reporting verbs and descriptors. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your word forms are accurate. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('most of the people east', '13% people eat'), missing articles ('only few people', 'Smallest fraction'), and tense inconsistencies ('it figures fell', 'remain constant'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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