Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-30

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 chart compares the proportion of people in the USA who ate at fast food restaurants at six different frequencies in 2003,2006 and 2013.

Overall, eating in once a week or once or twice a month were by far the most common habits throughout a period, together accounting for around 60% of people each year. It is also noticeable that two main extremes for people who eats every day or never eating it all, involved very small or largely unchanging minorities.

In 2003 and 2006, the weekly consumption of people was one of the most popular option at approximately 30% to 33%,but this fell to about 28% in 2013. Meanwhile eating out once or twice a month followed an opposite pattern, decreasing from roughly 30% to 25% in 2006 before climbing to the 33% in 2013 at which point this became the leading category.

In contrast, the remaining categories accounted for substantially smaller n=proportion of respondents. About 16% of Americans who ate fast food several times a week ,peaking to 20% in 2006 than after keep returning to the similar level in 2013.The figure for those who ate fast food a few times a year slightly from 12% to under 15% while fewer than 5% either ate fast food every day or never did in any of the years surveyed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively addresses the task by identifying the main trends and comparing the data across the three years. You successfully highlighted the most common habits and the stability of the extreme categories. The overview is clear and captures the essence of the data. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, you mentioned the 'several times a week' category peaked at 20% in 2006, which is accurate, but the subsequent description of the trend is slightly unclear. Overall, the report is well-structured and covers all key features of the chart.

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 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'Overall' to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main trends. While the flow is generally good, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and sentence structure that occasionally disrupt the smooth progression of ideas. Nevertheless, the information is presented in a coherent manner throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'proportion of people', 'leading category', and 'substantially smaller' are used effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and phrasing, such as 'n=proportion' (a typo) and 'than after keep returning', which slightly detract from the precision. However, the vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, and you successfully avoid repetitive language by using a variety of terms to describe trends and frequencies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear and accurate, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'people who eats' (subject-verb agreement), 'never eating it all' (awkward phrasing), and 'slightly from 12% to under 15%' (missing verb). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the grammatical mistakes do not significantly impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage.

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

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