Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-21

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)

In USA, people often goes to fast food restraunts and the chart shows the percentage of the people who went during 2003 to 2013.

People who eat everyday in fast food retraunts has a percentage below 5% in 2003,2006 and as well as 2013.

So it could be said that it barely changed at all but, those people who ate several times a week in 2003 were at about 17% not only in 2006 it went upto 20% but also in 2013 it decreased upto about 16%.

Now here comes the people who ate once a week and they were the most USA. In 2003, about 31% of people were shown in the chart where as in 2006, the percentage was till about 33% and in 2013 it went down about 28%. Those peoples who ate once or twice in a month in 2003, 2006 and 2013 were at 30%, 25% and 33%.

The numbers were low in the frequency of people who ate a few times a year in 2003 they where 13%,and in 2006 and 2013 it remained same as 15%. Those people who never ate in fast food restraunts where very less below 5% where in 2003, 2006 and 2013 it was 5%,4% and 4% in also 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by summarizing the main features of the chart. However, the overview is weak; it lacks a clear summary of the overall trends, such as the fact that eating fast food 'once a week' was consistently the most popular frequency. While the data is presented, the reporting is somewhat mechanical, listing figures without sufficient synthesis or comparison. To reach a higher band, you should group the data more effectively to highlight significant trends rather than just listing percentages for each category across the years. The inclusion of a clear 'overview' paragraph is essential for this task type.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally awkward, such as 'Now here comes the people' and 'where as in 2006'. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, as the transition between categories feels like a list rather than a cohesive analysis. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'restraunts' and 'retraunts', and some awkward phrasing like 'those peoples' and 'very less'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying heavily on basic descriptors. To improve, you should incorporate more precise terminology for describing data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'peaked', and ensure that you use plural forms correctly (e.g., 'people' instead of 'peoples').

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people often goes', 'people who eat... has'), incorrect preposition usage ('In USA'), and awkward sentence structures ('the percentage was till about 33%'). While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, they are often marred by errors. You need to focus on basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, before attempting more complex grammatical structures.

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

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