Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-20

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 compares the proportion of residents of the USA dining at fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, while some categories saw fluctuations, patterns emerged weekly and once in a month.

In 2003, "for once in a week", about 31% served fast food, while for "once or twice a month," about 30% consumed fast food in restaurants. As for "several times a week" and "a few times a year," they showed a decline in percentage from the earlier one, with around 15% and about 10%, respectively. Every day and never category had a slight margin of around 5% and 5%, respectively.

In 2006 and 2013, once in a week, several times a week, and a few times a year categories were toppers in 2006, while once or twice a month, class, and fast food consumption were the highest in 2013. Never and every day class has least proportion with around a 5% margin in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to provide a clear or accurate overview. The description of the trends is confusing, particularly in the second paragraph where the categorization of data is unclear. The student mentions 'toppers' and 'class,' which are inappropriate terms for a formal report. Furthermore, the data points selected are not clearly presented, making it difficult for the reader to follow the trends over the decade. The summary of the main features is insufficient, as it does not effectively highlight the significant changes or stability in the categories provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes confusing, such as the phrase 'from the earlier one' which lacks a clear referent. The transition between the years 2003, 2006, and 2013 is disjointed. While there is an attempt to group information, the lack of clear signposting makes the relationship between the data points difficult to discern. The referencing is often unclear, which hinders the overall flow of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often inappropriate for an academic report. Terms like 'toppers' and 'class' are informal and do not accurately describe statistical data. There is also a reliance on repeating the labels from the chart rather than using synonyms or descriptive language to explain the trends. The phrasing 'slight margin of around 5%' is imprecise. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'fluctuated,' 'remained stable,' or 'accounted for.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains several grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with sentence structure, such as 'In 2006 and 2013, once in a week... were toppers,' which is syntactically awkward. The use of articles and prepositions is inconsistent. While the student attempts some complex sentence structures, they are often poorly constructed or contain errors. The punctuation is generally functional, but the overall control of grammar is limited, preventing the response from reaching a higher band score.

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

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