Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-26

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 bar graph illustrates the frequency with which Americans ate fast food between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, eating fast food once a week was the most common frequency in 2003 an 2006, whereas those eating it once or twice a month were highest in 2013. Meanwhile, eating fast food every day or never doing so remained the least popular.

The figure of those eating fast food once a week stood at around 31% in 2003, rose slightly to nearly 33% in 2006, and then fell gradually to around 28% in 2013. However, monthly consumption fell from 30% to 25% before rising to approximately 33%.

Similarly, eating fast food several times a week rose from 17% to 20% before declining to approximately 16%, while those eating it a few times a year increased from 13% to 15% and remained unchanged. Moreover, daily consumption fell slightly from around 4% to nearly 3%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview. You have selected key data points to support your descriptions, such as the 31% and 28% figures for weekly consumption. However, the report is slightly incomplete; while you mention most categories, the 'never' category is mentioned in the overview but not detailed in the body paragraphs. Additionally, the description of the 'monthly' category is slightly confusing, as the data shows a decline from 2003 to 2006 and then a rise, but your phrasing 'before rising to approximately 33%' lacks clarity regarding the specific years involved. Overall, the task is addressed well, but more precise data reporting would improve the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'Meanwhile,' 'Similarly,' and 'Moreover' to link ideas effectively. The progression of information is generally logical, moving from the most frequent categories to the least frequent. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother and that the referencing of specific data points is consistently clear to avoid any ambiguity for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates,' 'frequency,' 'consumption,' and 'declining.' The language is generally accurate and appropriate for an academic report. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, relying on basic verbs like 'rose' and 'fell.' To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of synonyms for change, such as 'fluctuated,' 'dipped,' 'surged,' or 'remained stable.' There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication, but the lexical range is currently limited to standard descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'whereas' and 'before' clauses. Most sentences are grammatically accurate, and punctuation is handled well. There is a minor error in the first paragraph ('2003 an 2006' should be '2003 and 2006'). While the grammar is generally sound, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to vary your sentence patterns further, perhaps by using more passive constructions or advanced subordinating conjunctions to describe the data trends more fluidly.

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

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