Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-21

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 frequency at which people living in the USA have become habituated to visiting restaurants for fast food in 2003, 2006, and 2013. As reflected by the x-axis, the frequency of eating at restaurant has been expressed in terms of time, particularly whether or not they eat every day, several times a week, once a week, once or twice a month, a few times a year and or those who never eat at restaurants, in each year, while the x-axis represents the proportion of people belonging to this category.

At first glance, it is evident that most people are accustomed to visiting restaurants from a week to about once or twice a month during each observed year. Although they are more likely to have their meals at restaurants, there are also groups who either regularly go for having food outside or never pay a visit, though the proportion of that is substantially small.

In 2003 and 2006, around 30% of people had junk food outside once a week and once or twice a month. However, following 2006, fewer people were having lunch every once a week, with a modest decline to 28% from around 33% in 2013. Instead, the percentage of people having a meal outside once or twice a month increased from 2006 to 2013, where about 35% of them changed their tendency to visit junk food restaurants. Apart from that, less than 20% of people went to restaurants several times a week during the years observe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarizing the main features of the bar chart and making relevant comparisons across the years 2003, 2006, and 2013. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting that most people ate out between once a week and once or twice a month. Key data points are correctly reported, such as the peak around 30-35% and the modest decline in weekly fast food consumption by 2013. However, there is a slight confusion in the introduction where the student mixes up the x-axis and y-axis descriptions, stating that the x-axis represents the proportion of people. Overall, the task is well covered with appropriate supporting figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from an introduction and overview to specific body paragraph details. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different parts of the analysis. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable success, such as 'At first glance', 'Although', and 'However'. However, referencing and transitions are occasionally slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Apart from that, less than 20% of people went to restaurants several times a week during the years observe', where the final verb is uninflected. Despite minor cohesion glitches, the essay remains easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common collocations and lexical items such as 'habituated', 'proportion', and 'modest decline'. There are, however, some slight inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing, such as 'visiting restaurants for fast food' or referring to fast food restaurants as 'junk food restaurants' repeatedly, and minor confusion with axis labelling in the introduction. Vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, though it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response, such as concessive clauses ('Although they are more likely to...') and relative clauses. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'the frequency of eating at restaurant has been expressed', 'during the years observe', and 'changed their tendency to visit'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and the overall meaning remains clear. Punctuation is generally functional.

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

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