Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-01

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 chart compares how often people in the USA visited fast food restaurants during 2003 to 2013. Overall, majority of the people predominantly preferred to eat fast food either once a week or once or twice a month. In contrast, the percentage of people who dine out every day records the lowest figure. This figure is interestingly exceeded by the figure that corresponds to those who have never eaten out at a fast food restaurant.

In 2006 and 2013, the once a week and once or twice a month category saw the highest percentage of people at around 33% each. Conversely, the every day category between 2006 and 2013 recorded the lowest figures of 3% each.

Furthermore, the figures representing 'Every day' and 'Never' shows a steady decline, with Every day declining from 3 to 2% and Never receding from 5% to 4%. Several times a week and once a week peaked in 2006

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the most frequent categories and noting the trends over time. However, the analysis is somewhat incomplete. While you mention the peak years for some categories, you fail to provide a comprehensive overview of the data for all categories across the three time points (2003, 2006, 2013). The summary is a bit thin, and the comparison between categories could be more detailed to fully satisfy the requirements of a Band 7.0 or higher. You have successfully identified the main trends, but the lack of specific data points for 2003 limits the depth of the report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a clear overview. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Conversely', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas effectively. However, the progression of ideas is slightly disjointed in the final paragraph, where the sentence 'Several times a week and once a week peaked in 2006' ends abruptly without a full stop or further elaboration. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring all statements are complete would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'predominantly', 'exceeded', and 'receding' appropriately. There is some repetition of the word 'figure', which could be avoided by using synonyms or varying the sentence structure. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. The attempt to use more academic language is evident, but it is not consistently applied throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'Overall, majority of the people' (missing an article 'the') and 'the figures... shows' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, the final sentence is incomplete, lacking a period and a concluding thought. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of subject-verb agreement and article usage to reach a higher band.

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

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