Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The chart below provides information on how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013. The figures are represented in percentages.

The two highest categories were consumers who ate at a fast food food restaurants once a week and once or twice a month, whereas, the two lowest groups were people in ate there everyday and those who never visited a fast food restaurant.

In 2003, those who ate in a fast food restaurant everyday stood at about 4%, while those who ate several times a week grew significantly to approximately 16%. People who ate fast food once a week increased further to around 31% which represented the highest figure that year. Consumers who ate once or twice a month was nearly 30%.  However, those who ate a few times a year dropped rapidly to around 30%, whereas consumers who never ate in a fast food restaurant was almost 5% which made up the lowest figure that year.

By comparism, in 2006 and 2013 the percentages of people who ate in a fast food restaurant every day remained stable and stood at roughly 3%. However, individuals who ate there several times a week in 2006 and 2013 were roughly 20% and 16% respectively.  Also, those who ate there once a week rose further in 2006 and 2013. In 2006, consumers who ate once or twice a month reduced to almost 25%, while in 2013, the figure increased to roughly 33%. Consumers who ate a few times a year shared the same percentage at stood at almost  15%. Likewise, those  who never ate in a fast food restaurant remained at equilibrum in 2006 and 2013 at about 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided a clear overview. You included data points for the years 2003, 2006, and 2013, which effectively highlights the trends. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you stated that 'a few times a year' dropped to 30% in 2003, whereas the chart shows it was significantly lower. Additionally, some comparisons are slightly confusing due to the way the data is grouped. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data extraction is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the categories when making comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction followed by body paragraphs that group the data by year. You use some cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'however', and 'likewise' to link ideas. However, the progression within the paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'By comparism'. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the 2006 and 2013 data in the final paragraph could be smoother to better guide the reader through the changes over time.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'significantly', 'approximately', and 'remained stable'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'remained at equilibrum' (should be 'equilibrium') and 'By comparism' (should be 'In comparison'). You also have a repetitive structure when describing the data, often relying on 'those who ate'. To improve, try to vary your vocabulary by using synonyms for 'consumers' or 'people' and incorporating more precise reporting verbs or nouns to describe the trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'people in ate there everyday' (should be 'people who ate there every day') and 'consumers who ate... was nearly 30%' (subject-verb agreement error: 'consumers' is plural). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are occasional errors with spacing and word forms. The errors do not impede communication, but they do occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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

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