Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-31

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 7.5)

The bar chart compares how often Americans ate at fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006, and 2013.

Overall, the majority of people ate fast food between once a week and once or twice a month throughout the decade, while eating daily or never remained the least common habits.

In 2003 and 2006, eating once a week was the most popular response, peaking at around 33% in 2006 before declining to roughly 28% in 2013. Conversely, the proportion of individuals dining once or twice a month dropped from 30% in 2003 to 25% in 2006, but surged to become the highest category in 2013 at nearly 33%.

Meanwhile, those eating fast food several times a week hovered around 15–20%, peaking in 2006. People dining a few times a year increased slightly from about 13% in 2003 to 15% in both 2006 and 2013. Finally, the extreme categories—eating daily and never—consistently accounted for the lowest figures, remaining under 5% across all three years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses the task by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons. You have successfully highlighted the key shifts, such as the change in the most popular frequency category between 2006 and 2013. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. All categories are covered, and the data is accurately represented. To reach a higher band, you could further synthesize the data by grouping categories more explicitly or highlighting the contrast between the stable categories (like 'daily' or 'never') and the more volatile ones more sharply.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the data effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'Meanwhile', and 'Finally' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the trends. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the main features. The flow of information is smooth, and the progression of ideas is logical throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You have used a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a data-driven report, such as 'proportion', 'surged', 'hovered', and 'accounted for'. The word choices are precise and contribute to the clarity of the report. There are no noticeable errors in word choice or collocation. To achieve a higher band, you could incorporate a few more sophisticated, less common lexical items to describe the trends, though the current range is already quite sufficient for a high score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The writing demonstrates a high level of grammatical accuracy. You have used a variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences, effectively. Punctuation is accurate, and there are no errors that impede communication. The control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent. The response is almost entirely error-free, which reflects a strong command of English grammar.

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

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