Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-03

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 illustrates the frequency with which people in the USA ate at fast-food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, eating at fast-food restaurants once a week or once or twice a month was the most common pattern throughout the period. By contrast, eating fast food every day or never was relatively uncommon, while the proportion eating once or twice a month increased noticeably by 2013.

In 2003, approximately 31% of Americans ate fast food once a week, making this the most common frequency, followed closely by those who visited such restaurants once or twice a month, at around 30%. The figures for these two categories changed slightly in 2006, with the proportion eating once a week rising to about 32%, while the figure for those eating once or twice a month fell to approximately 25%. In the same year, around 20% of people ate fast food several times a week, compared with 17% in 2003.

By 2013, the proportion of people eating fast food once or twice a month had risen considerably to roughly 33%, making it the most popular frequency. Meanwhile, the figure for those eating once a week declined to about 28%, although it remained one of the most common patterns. The percentage eating several times a week also fell slightly to around 16%. At the less frequent end, approximately 15% of Americans ate fast food only a few times a year in both 2006 and 2013. In contrast, only around 3–5% of people ate fast food every day or never did so in any of the three years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses the prompt by summarizing the main features of the chart and making relevant comparisons. You have successfully identified the key trends, such as the shift in popularity between 'once a week' and 'once or twice a month' by 2013. The overview is clear and provides a concise summary of the data. You have included specific data points to support your observations, which demonstrates a good grasp of the task requirements. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are explicitly linked to the years provided, as you have done well here.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group data effectively. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'In the same year' to connect sentences and clauses. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different time periods and trends. The flow of information is natural, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, making the report easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'most common pattern', 'proportion', 'declined', and 'remained one of the most common' are used accurately. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, and the word choice is generally appropriate for an academic report. While the vocabulary is effective, incorporating a few more sophisticated synonyms or collocations related to data trends could further enhance the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response displays a good variety of complex structures, such as the use of participial phrases ('making this the most common frequency') and subordinate clauses ('while the figure for those eating once or twice a month fell'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and your control of punctuation is excellent. There are no significant grammatical errors that impede communication. The accuracy is high, and the sentence structures are varied enough to maintain interest and clarity throughout the report.

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

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