Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-08

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 given chart shows that people in USA frequently ate fast food from restaurants between the year 2003 to 2013.

Overall, in all the given year major population from USA ate fast food Once a week or Once or twice a month in contrast people who ate every day fast food or never ate is least.

Majority of the population ate fast food once a week which accounted more than 25% in which the year 2006, eating fast food once a week reached a peak around 35% while there are equal number of the people in year 2013 who ate food from restaurant once or twice a month

Less than 20% of total population from USA ate fast food several times a week and even less population ate fast food few times a year which accounted less than 15%. less than 5% of people from USA never ate fast food across the surveyed year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a general overview and identifies some key trends, such as the peak in 2006 for weekly consumption. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks precision. For instance, the description of the data is occasionally vague, such as 'accounted more than 25%'. The report fails to clearly distinguish between all categories provided in the chart, and the comparison between years is limited. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that all significant data points are clearly referenced and that the overview provides a more comprehensive summary of the overall trends rather than just listing isolated observations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. Phrases like 'Overall' and 'in contrast' are used, but the transitions between sentences are often abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. The referencing is also occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the different categories of fast food consumption. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the logical progression of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple phrases like 'ate fast food' and 'population from USA'. There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'major population' instead of 'the majority of the population'. To improve, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a decline'. Additionally, ensure that you use more precise terminology when referring to the data categories to avoid ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include missing articles ('in USA', 'in year 2006'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing ('there are equal number of the people'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences lacking necessary commas or full stops. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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

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