Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05
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 bar graph illustrates the how often USA people ate in fast food restaurants in 2003,2006 and 2013.
Overall, percentage of people eating on fast food restaurants, everyday and never are lowest in all three period. On contrast, the number of people eating once a week and once or twice a month are the highest in all the years.
The percentage of people eating everyday are less than 5% in all the years. Similarly, people eating every day are also same less than 5% except year 2003 which touched. The percentage of people eating a few times a year had reached 15% in 2006 and 2013 and approximately 12.5% in 2003. Additionally people eating several times a week was between 20 to 25% in all periods.
On contrast, the percentage of people eating once a week reached approximately 31% in 2003, 33% in 2006 which was highest and 28% in 2013. Similarly, percentage of people eating once or twice a month was 30% in 2003, 25% in 2006 and 33% in 2013 which was also higgest.
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 covers the main features of the chart, including the overall trends and specific data points for the years provided. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement 'people eating every day are also same less than 5% except year 2003 which touched' is confusing and lacks clarity regarding the data. While the main features are identified, the comparison between categories could be more precise. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant trends rather than just listing categories. The response addresses the prompt requirements but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on different data groups. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On contrast', and 'Additionally' are used to link ideas, although 'On contrast' is used incorrectly (it should be 'In contrast'). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the referencing within sentences is sometimes repetitive or slightly awkward, such as the repeated use of 'The percentage of people eating...'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed findings.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the data points and trends. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'touched' without an object or 'higgest' (a spelling error). The range is sufficient to convey the meaning, but the repetition of phrases like 'percentage of people eating' limits the sophistication of the writing. To improve, the student should focus on using a wider variety of synonyms and ensuring accurate collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in 2003, 2006 and 2013'), incorrect prepositions ('eating on fast food restaurants'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('percentage... are'). Some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'Similarly, people eating every day are also same less than 5% except year 2003 which touched.' These errors do not completely impede communication, but they are frequent enough to affect the overall flow and clarity of the report.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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