Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25

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 6.5)

The given bar graph depicts the percentage of people who ate in fast food restaurants in the USA in the years 2003, 2006, and 2013.

Overall, it is clear that the majority of people ate fast food once a week, while a smaller number of people had meals once or twice a month in a restaurant in 2006. The people in the USA who went to restaurants every day and never visited restaurants were in a minority.

The figure of people who ate fast food at restaurants every day was less than 5%, although the residents who never ate at fast food restaurants were only 5% in 2003. Additionally, the proportion was less than 5% in 2006 and 2013. Furthermore, the residents in the USA who only ate a few times a year were 13% in 2003. The proportion of individuals was 15% in 2006 and 2013. Residents who had their meal several times a week in restaurants were 17% in 2003 and the figure rose to 20% in 2006. In addition, the number of customers who ate at fast food outlets declined to 16%.

Individuals who ate at fast food chains once a week were 31% in 2003, although there was a slight rise in the number of customers, from 31% to 33% in 2006. Moreover, the figure dropped to 27% in 2013. The percentage of people in the USA who ate at fast food chains once or twice a month was 30% in 2003 and fell to 25% in 2006. After that in 2013, there was a significant increase to 33% in the number of individuals who ate at fast food restaurants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart and providing relevant comparisons. The overview captures the general trend clearly, noting that eating once a week was the most common frequency. Key data points for each category across the years 2003, 2006, and 2013 are accurately cited, such as the percentages for eating once a week (31% in 2003, 33% in 2006, and 27% in 2013). However, there is a minor misinterpretation in the overview regarding meals eaten 'once or twice a month in a restaurant in 2006' as being a smaller number when it was actually the second highest category. Despite this minor lapse, the selection and reporting of data are well-developed and grounded in the visual source, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Information is grouped reasonably well by frequency categories, and paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different trends. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'Moreover', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical ('After that in 2013'). Paragraphing structure is generally sound, guiding the reader smoothly through the various data points, which aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'decline', and 'significant increase'. There are attempts to use less common phrasing, such as 'in a minority' and 'residents who never ate'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as referring to people eating at fast-food restaurants as 'residents' rather than consumers or customers, and occasional repetitive structures. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient for precision and does not impede communication, earning a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

A mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used throughout the response. The student demonstrates good control over basic grammatical structures and successfully incorporates relative clauses and subordinating conjunctions, such as 'The figure of people who ate fast food at restaurants every day was less than 5%, although the residents who never ate at fast food restaurants were only 5% in 2003.' While there are occasional errors in verb tense and prepositional usage, these errors do not impede communication and are typical of a solid Band 6.5 performance.

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