Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The chart illustrates the information of people of USA that how frequent they ate fast food between 2003 and 2013.
Overall, most of the citizens of USA ate fast food very often while others who do some work ate fast food very frequently. There is also a number of residents who don't eat fast food.
The highest number of people of USA prefer to ate fast food once a week in 2006 with a percentage of almost 33 while in 2003 they were 31% and in 2013 they were only about 27%. In addition people ate fast food once or twice a month were almost 33% in 2013 and they were 30% in 2003 and were only 25% in 2006. There were also people who ate fast food several times a week. They were 20% in 2006 and were almost near to 18% in both 2003 and 2013.
On other hand there were 4% of them in 2003 who ate fast food daily while in 2006 and 2013 they were only 3 %. Moreover there is also some residents who ate fast food only a few times in a year. They were 15% in 2006 and 2013 while they were very low in 2003 at 13%. There also evolve a group of people who never ate fast food they were more in 2003 but decreases around 2006 and 2013.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the task by summarizing the main features of the chart. However, the overview is weak and lacks clarity, as it describes the data in a vague manner ('most of the citizens... ate fast food very often') rather than highlighting the key trends. While the response includes data points for each category, the reporting is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear analytical focus. The comparison between years is present but could be more effectively synthesized to show the overall shift in consumption patterns. To improve, focus on identifying the most significant changes or stability across the period rather than listing every data point.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical, such as the frequent use of 'they were' and 'in addition'. The flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph where the transition between categories feels abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to track which group is being discussed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the logical progression of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'number of people of USA' and 'ate fast food' are used repeatedly, which limits the range. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'there also evolve a group of people', which is not natural English. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to use more precise synonyms for 'people' (e.g., 'consumers', 'individuals', 'respondents') and vary your verbs to describe trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'experienced a decline').
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the information of people of USA that how frequent they ate' (incorrect clause structure), 'prefer to ate' (incorrect verb form), and 'there is also some residents' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage (past tense for data from 2003–2013) is essential.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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