Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

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 graph displays the data on percentage of people eating fried items in the United States of America in three years.

Overall, most of the people eat fast food. More people are eating fast food once a week. Least percentage of people consume fast food everyday.

Almost 4% of people in 2003 ate fast food everyday, which reduced about one percent in coming years. The frequency of consuming fast food several times a week was around 16.5% in 2003, which then rose to 20% in 2006 and fell significantly in 2013. In 2003 almost 31% of the population was eating fast food which increased to around 33% in 2006 and then decreased sharply to around 27% in 2013.

The frequency of people who never eats fast food is quite low with only 5% in 2003 which further decreased to around 4% in coming years. The people who ate few times a year was 15% in 2006 and 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response attempts to address the task by reporting on the bar graph showing the frequency of eating fast food in the USA between 2003 and 2013. However, there are notable misinterpretations of the visual data. For instance, the opening sentence refers to 'eating fried items,' which is inaccurate as the chart specifically measures the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants. Furthermore, some data points are inaccurate or poorly supported, and certain categories are omitted or vaguely described. While an overview is attempted in the second paragraph, it lacks precision. The response covers some parts of the task but remains limited in its overall development and accuracy, leading to a Band 5.5 performance for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific categories. However, the logical progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and mechanical cohesive devices. For example, the sentence 'The people who ate few times a year was 15% in 2006 and 2013' stands somewhat isolated without clear comparative linking. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and paragraphing could be managed more effectively to group related trends together. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, fitting the characteristics of Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms such as 'frequency,' 'population,' 'reduced,' and 'significantly.' However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing. For instance, 'eating fried items' misinterprets the prompt, and 'never eats' demonstrates a minor subject-verb agreement slip ('people' as plural paired with 'eats'). Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally used with awkward collocation or imprecise meaning, placing this performance firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('The people who ate...') and comparative constructions. However, grammatical errors occur with some frequency, such as 'Least percentage of people consume fast food everyday' (should be 'The lowest percentage' and 'every day' as two words) and 'which reduced about one percent' (missing a reflexive or passive construction). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors do not seriously impede communication, they persist across multiple sentences, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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