Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-25

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 graphs gives data about the eating habits of the people in the United States, more specifically about the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, it is crystal clear that most people often ate a fast food restaurant either once a week or one to two times a month.

Having a quick glance, it is vivid that the smallest group were the people who ate every day with under 5% of people indulging in eating daily. Close to that, were the people who never ate at a fast food restaurant. There is a big jump in share of people who ate every day to several times a week as they were the third largest group.

Analyzing further, it is revealed that the percentage of people who ate a few times a year was the same across all three years. Interestingly, the number of people who ate once a week were higher than people who ate or one or two times a month in 2003 and 2006 while it was lower in 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. However, the response lacks precision in reporting specific data points. For instance, you mention 'under 5%' for daily eaters, but you do not provide specific figures for the other categories, which is essential for a Task 1 response. Additionally, the comparison of 'once a week' and 'one or two times a month' is vague. To improve, ensure you include specific percentages from the chart to support your observations, as this is a key requirement for achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Having a quick glance', and 'Analyzing further' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or informal. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied linking words to connect the data points more fluidly. Overall, the information is easy to follow, but the cohesion could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'indulging', 'frequency', and 'percentage'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'The bar graphs gives' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'it is vivid that' (which is not a standard collocation in this context). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'remained stable', 'fluctuated', or 'a significant proportion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that slightly distract the reader, such as 'The bar graphs gives' (subject-verb agreement) and 'ate or one or two times' (preposition/conjunction error). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your comparative structures are grammatically sound.

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

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