Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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% for weekly visitors. While only 16% people prefer eating several times a week, 15% of them eat a few time a year. The number is much lower (4%) in people never eating out, whereas eaveryday visitors again shows the lowest proportion at 3%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features and trends of the data. The overview is clear, and you have made relevant comparisons across the three years. You covered all categories (frequency of eating) and provided specific data points to support your descriptions. To reach a higher band, ensure that your comparisons are more analytical rather than just listing figures. For example, instead of just stating the percentages for each year, you could more explicitly contrast the shift in popularity from 'once a week' in 2003/2006 to 'once or twice a month' in 2013 to highlight the change in consumer behavior more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, 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, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by grouping data by trend rather than just by year to allow for better comparative flow. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be more tightly linked to improve the overall flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'highest proportion', 'illustrates the lowest figures', and 'accounted for' are used appropriately. There are some minor errors, such as 'age a few times a week' (likely a typo for 'ate') and 'less then' (should be 'less than'). To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'eating' or 'visitors' to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more sophisticated control of lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. While the majority of your sentences are clear, there are occasional grammatical slips, such as 'the number is much lower (4%) in people never eating out' (should be 'for people') and the spelling error 'eaveryday'. Punctuation is generally accurate, but ensure that subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout. The errors present do not impede communication, but more consistent accuracy in complex structures would be required for a higher band.

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

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