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 bar chart illustrates the frequency with which people in the USA ate at Food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, it is clear that eating fast food once a week or once or twice a week was the most common pattern during the period. In contrast, only small proportion of people ate fast food every day or never.

In 2003, approximately 31% of Americans ate fast food once a week, making this the most popular frequency. This frequency slightly increased to 33% in 2003, Before falling to about 29% in 2013. Meanwhile, the proportion eating fast food once for twice a week rose from 30% in 2003 to 33% in 2013, although it dipped to about 26% in 2006

Around 17% of people ate fast food several time a week in 2003, and this increased to almost 20 % in 2013, before declining slightly to 16% in 2013.

Finally , only around 3-4% ate fast food every day, while roughly 7% never ate it in all three years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all key features of the chart, including the main trends and specific data points. You have successfully identified the most common eating patterns and contrasted them with the least frequent ones. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you mention a figure of 33% for 2003, but the chart shows 31%. Additionally, you state that the proportion for 'several times a week' increased to 20% in 2013, but the chart indicates 16%. Ensuring data accuracy is crucial for a higher band score in Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by frequency categories. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'Finally' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally clear. To improve, ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother and avoid minor mechanical errors in punctuation, such as the space before the comma in 'Finally ,'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'proportion', and 'frequency' correctly. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'once for twice a week' (should be 'once or twice') and 'several time a week' (should be 'times'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increased' and 'decreased' to avoid repetition and show greater lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'Before falling' (capitalization error), 'once for twice' (preposition error), and 'several time' (pluralization error). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading your work to catch these small slips, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and capitalization.

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

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