Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27

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 often Americans ate at fast food restaurants between the years [redacted phone].

Overall, it is evident that for all three years, majority of the people ate fast food at least once a week or once or twice a month. Comparatively, only a limited number of people had never had fast food or had it almost every day.

A little less than 5% of Americans consumed fast food on a daily basis in 2003. 2006 and 2013. Whereas, about 17% of people at at restaurants several times a week in 2003, which significantly increased to 20% in 2006 before dropping sharply. A similar pattern followed for Americans who ate at fast food restaurants once a week.

The percentage of people eating fast food once or twice a month was at 30% in 2003, before rising to a high of around 34% in 2013. Moreover, around 13% people in 2003 and 15% of individuals in both 2006 and 2013 enjoyed fast food a few times a year. For those who never ate at fast food restaurants, the figure was around 5% across all three years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided a clear overview. You covered all categories and made relevant comparisons between the years. However, the analysis of the data is slightly inconsistent. For instance, you mention a 'sharp drop' for those eating fast food several times a week, but the data shows a decrease from 20% in 2006 to roughly 17% in 2013, which is a moderate decline rather than a sharp one. Additionally, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the specific years to avoid ambiguity. Overall, the response is well-structured and addresses the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Whereas', 'Moreover', and 'A similar pattern followed' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between sentences is even smoother and avoid minor mechanical errors in referencing, such as the punctuation error in '2003. 2006 and 2013', which disrupts the flow of the sentence. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information clearly. Phrases like 'consumed fast food on a daily basis' and 'rising to a high of' are appropriate for a report. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing. For example, 'at at restaurants' is a typo, and 'a limited number of people' is slightly imprecise when referring to percentages. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'peaked') to show greater flexibility and precision in your reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'majority of the people' (should be 'the majority of people') and '13% people' (should be '13% of people'). Additionally, the sentence '2003. 2006 and 2013' is a sentence fragment that lacks a verb and proper punctuation. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the writing from reaching a higher band score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and punctuation.

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

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