Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-02

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 provided bar chart compares the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants in the USA from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, 2006 accounts for the highest proportion of people eating once a week, while people eating once or twice a month at fast food restaurants had the highest portion in 2013. On the other hand, percentage of people going to fast food restaurants everyday illustrates the lowest figures in all three years.

In 2003, the largest percentage of people was 31% who went to restaurants only once a week, followed by people eating once or twice a month at 30%. Around 17% of the US citizens ate several times a week, whereas the number is much lower for people eating a few times a year and people never eating, at 13% and 5% respectively. However, everyday visitors accounted for less than 5%, the lowest figure in that year.

Similarly, in 2006, again the visitors eating once a week peaks at 33%, followed by 25% for visitors once or twice a month. Moreover, 20% ate several times a week and 15% age a few times a week. The proportion was less then 5% for both every day visitors and people who never ate at fast food restaurants.

Finally, in 2013, the figure increased to 33% for people eating once or twice a month, while the number decreased to 28%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to complete the task as it is unfinished. While you successfully identify the main features and trends for 2003 and 2006, the analysis for 2013 is incomplete, cutting off abruptly after mentioning two categories. This prevents a full comparison of the data and leaves the summary unbalanced. To improve, ensure you allocate enough time to cover all years presented in the chart. You have identified key trends, such as the low frequency of daily fast-food consumption, but the lack of a complete overview for the final year significantly impacts the overall task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for each year. You use cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'On the other hand', and 'Finally' to guide the reader. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the flow and coherence of the final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, ensure that your paragraphs are balanced in length and that your concluding thoughts are fully developed rather than left incomplete.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'illustrates', and 'accounted for'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'age a few times a week' (likely meant 'ate') and 'less then' (should be 'less than'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and ensure accurate collocations to avoid minor slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'percentage of people going... illustrates the lowest figures' (subject-verb agreement/logic) and 'less then' (spelling). Additionally, the incomplete sentence at the end is a significant error in grammatical control. While these errors rarely impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. Focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage to improve your accuracy.

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

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