Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The given bar chart illustrates the consumption level of fast food in hotels
in America from 2003 to 2013.
Overall, the highest percentage of visiting fast food restaurant was of once a week in mid year and same percentage was of once or twice a month in last year.However,everyday going was considered the lowest among other to ate food in restaurant in whole period of time.
Firstly,with the more time of visiting restraunt in 2003 hold by once a week condition with more than 30%,it inclined by 2percent in next three years.But in 2013 the level declined to almost 27%.In2013,the once or twice a month statement top up by almost 33%.This was rise of almost 7% from 2006case.In addition,a 12%level of eating food in hotels of a few times a year case in 2003,it increased to 15%in 2006 and remain stuck to same in 2013.
Secondly,several times a week was high in 2006with almost 20%,but in last period of year it turned to only 15%.
The lowest percentage condition occured in everyday case where it was almost 4%in starting period then declined to 3%in both years.Never condition also contained less than 5%scenario in America in whole period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the trends for 'once a week' and 'once or twice a month' consumption. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, cohesive overview of the data. The student identifies the highest and lowest points, but the comparison between years is occasionally confusing due to awkward phrasing (e.g., 'in last period of year'). The interpretation of the data is generally accurate, but the lack of a clear summary of the overall trends limits the score. To improve, ensure that the overview paragraph highlights the most significant trends rather than just listing data points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' which do not logically structure the data presentation. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, 'in last period of year' is ambiguous. The flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, making the reader work harder to follow the comparison of data points. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'level', 'case', and 'percentage'. There are several instances of inappropriate word choice, such as 'hotels' instead of 'restaurants' and 'statement' to describe a data category. Additionally, there are minor errors in collocation, such as 'top up by' and 'remain stuck to same'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is not sufficient to demonstrate flexibility or precision. Expanding the range of reporting verbs and nouns related to data trends would help elevate the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in last year'), incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'to ate food'), and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'the highest percentage of visiting fast food restaurant was of once a week'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are also problematic in several places. While the meaning remains understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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