Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The bar graph compares the proportion of americans ate in junk food outlets from the year 2003 to 2013.

From an overall perspective, it is readily evident that majority of them visited such restaurants one or two times weekly or monthly in all three years, while only few percentage of them accounted for frequent visits of fast food junctions.

Probing further, almost less than 5% of the USA people stood at the contrasting categories: everyday and never. In terms of people who ate in the fast food restaurants several times a week, accounted for approximately 16% in 2003, which increased significantly to 20% in 2006 and again reached at the same level as the begining in 2013. Furthermore, nearly 30% of them visited rastraurants once a week and once or twice a month in 2003. In 2006 and 2013, the figure of the both categories were opposite to each other (~34% and ~28% respectively in 2006 and 25% and 35% correspondingly in 2013). Lastly, the percentage for the category: a few times a year were almost the same over the time period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. You successfully identified the most frequent categories and noted trends over the period. However, the overview is slightly vague; while you mention that most people visited 'one or two times weekly or monthly', a more precise summary of the overall trend (e.g., the stability of the 'few times a year' category versus the fluctuations in weekly visits) would have been stronger. The data is generally accurate, though the description of the 2006 and 2013 figures is a bit cluttered and difficult to follow. Overall, the task is addressed well, but the reporting of data could be more streamlined for clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'From an overall perspective', 'Probing further', and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing within the body paragraph is occasionally confusing, particularly when describing the 2006 and 2013 data. The use of parentheses to list percentages makes the text feel more like a list of data points rather than a cohesive report. Improving the flow between sentences would help the reader follow the comparisons more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'outlets', 'contrasting categories', and 'significantly'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'junk food outlets' (which is informal; 'fast food restaurants' is preferred) and 'the USA people' (which should be 'people in the USA'). Additionally, there are some spelling errors like 'rastraurants' and 'begining'. While these do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Using more precise academic vocabulary would enhance the quality of your report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'proportion of americans ate' (should be 'proportion of Americans who ate'), 'only few percentage' (should be 'a small percentage'), and 'the figure of the both categories were' (should be 'the figures for both categories were'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the data. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Increasing the variety of error-free complex sentences would also help boost your score.

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

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