Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The bar chart illustrates how frequently Americans ate at fast-food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, eating fast food once a week was the most common frequency in 2003 and 2006, while once or twice a month became the most popular in 2013. By contrast, eating fast food every day or never remained the least common throughout the period.

In 2003, the percentage of people eating fast food once a week was almost 32%, which rose slightly in 2006 to 33% before falling to nearly 27% in 2013. The proportion eating fast food once or twice a month stood at 30% in 2003. It dropped to 25% in 2006, before peaking at around 33% in 2013.

Almost 17% of Americans ate fast food several times a week in 2003, and this increased to 20% in 2006, before falling to approximately 16% in 2013. The figure for those eating fast food a few times a year stood at 13% in 2003. It rose slightly to 15% in 2006, and remained unchanged in 2013. Meanwhile, eating fast food every day remained the lowest at 4% in 2003 and 3% in 2006 and 2013 respectively, followed by those who never ate fast food, at 5% in 2003 and 4% in 2006 and 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have provided a clear and accurate summary of the data, successfully identifying the main trends and key features. The overview effectively highlights the shift in the most popular frequency from 'once a week' to 'once or twice a month' over the decade. You have also made relevant comparisons and included data points to support your descriptions. The information is well-selected and covers all parts of the task, ensuring the reader gets a comprehensive picture of the changes in fast-food consumption habits in the USA between 2003 and 2013.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs that group the data points effectively. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you have used a variety of cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'before falling to' to link your sentences and clauses. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends, making the report easy to follow. The referencing is clear, and the overall structure supports the information well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the trends accurately, including terms like 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'peaking', and 'remained unchanged'. The word choice is precise and appropriate for an academic report. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it is generally standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate a slightly wider range of less common lexical items or more sophisticated collocations to describe the fluctuations in the data, such as 'marginal increase' or 'a significant downward trend'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

Your grammar is consistently accurate, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You have demonstrated control over tense usage, particularly in the past tense, which is appropriate for describing historical data. Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are very few errors. The sentences are well-constructed and easy to read. To achieve a higher band, you could experiment with more varied complex structures, such as using participle clauses (e.g., 'Rising slightly in 2006, the figure then fell to...') to increase the sophistication of your writing.

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