Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-29

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 8.0)

The bar chart compares how often people in the USA ate at fast-food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, eating fast food either once a week or once or twice a month was the most common habit in all three years. By contrast, relatively few Americans ate at such restaurants every day or never did so. There was also a slight shift from weekly to monthly consumption over the period.

In 2003, approximately 31% of Americans ate fast food once a week, while a slightly smaller proportion, at 30%, visited these restaurants once or twice a month. The percentage of weekly customers then rose to around 33% in 2006 before falling noticeably to 28% in 2013. Conversely, the figure for those eating fast food once or twice a month declined to 25% in 2006 but subsequently climbed to roughly 33% in 2013, becoming the largest category.

The proportion eating fast food several times a week reached a peak of 20% in 2006, compared with about 17% in 2003 and 16% in 2013. Meanwhile, approximately 12–15% ate it only a few times a year. Daily consumers and those who never ate fast food remained the smallest groups, at roughly 3–5% throughout.

**Word count: 200**

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the main trends and successfully selected and reported key features from the data. The comparisons between the years are accurate and well-supported by the figures provided. You have managed to highlight the shift in consumption habits without getting bogged down in every single data point, which demonstrates a good grasp of the requirements for Task 1. The information is logically grouped, and the summary of the main features in the introduction and overview is particularly strong.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The response is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from the overview to specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Conversely', and 'Meanwhile' are used effectively to link ideas and contrast different trends. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information flows smoothly from one point to the next. The referencing is clear, and the structure allows the reader to follow the analysis of the chart without any confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information with precision. Phrases like 'slight shift', 'rose to around', 'falling noticeably', and 'reached a peak' are used accurately and appropriately for describing trends in a chart. The vocabulary is varied and natural, and there are no significant errors in word choice or collocation. You have successfully avoided repetitive phrasing, which helps maintain the reader's interest throughout the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'The percentage of weekly customers then rose to around 33% in 2006 before falling noticeably to 28% in 2013.' The punctuation is accurate, and the sentence construction is generally error-free. The control over tense usage is consistent, and the overall grammatical accuracy is high, contributing to the clarity of the report.

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