Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-19

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 7.0)

The bar chart illustrates how often people in America ate fast food in 2003, 2006, and 2013. Units are measured in percentage.

Overall, the most common frequencies of eating fast food were once a week and once or twice a month, while eating fast food everyday was the least common.

In 2003, around 4% of people ate fast food everyday, while 17% ate it several times a week. The figure for those who ate once a week was considerably higher, at 31%. In 2006, the percentages for the three categories were approximately 3%, 20%, and 33%, respectively. By 2013 these figures had changed to around 3%, 16%, and 28%.

Regarding the remaining categories, 30% of people ate fast food once or twice a month in 2003, compared with 25% in 2006. This figure then increased to 33% in 2013. The proportion of people who ate fast food a few times a year rose slightly from 13% to 15% and remained unchanged in 2013. Finally, the percentage of people who never ate fast food was about 5% in 2003 and 2006, before falling slightly to 4% in 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively covers all parts of the task. You have identified the main features and provided a clear overview of the trends. The data is well-selected, and comparisons are made appropriately between the years and categories. For example, you correctly highlight the shift in the 'once or twice a month' category from 30% to 33%. The information is accurate based on the provided chart, and the summary is well-structured, ensuring the reader understands the key changes over the decade. To reach a higher band, ensure that the most significant trends are highlighted even more distinctly in the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the overview from the detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In 2003', 'Regarding the remaining categories', and 'Finally' are used to guide the reader through the data. The flow between sentences is smooth, and referencing is clear throughout the text. The structure is coherent, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow. No significant issues with cohesion were noted.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information accurately. Phrases like 'illustrates how often', 'considerably higher', and 'remained unchanged' are used effectively. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the task, it is somewhat standard. To achieve a higher score, you could incorporate more sophisticated or varied lexical items to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'witnessed a marginal decline', or 'experienced a steady growth'. Overall, the vocabulary is precise enough to communicate the data without any errors that impede meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You show control over grammar and punctuation, with the majority of sentences being error-free. For instance, the use of subordinate clauses in 'The proportion of people who ate fast food a few times a year rose slightly...' is handled well. There are no major grammatical errors that hinder communication. To improve further, you could experiment with more varied sentence starters or more complex comparative structures to demonstrate a wider range of grammatical flexibility.

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

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