Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

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 frequency 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 declined 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 6.0

The student provides a good overview and selects most of the key features from the chart, such as the most popular frequency (once a week) and the extremes like 'every day' and 'never'. The data reported is generally accurate and matches the provided visual references, such as mentioning 31% for once a week in 2003 and 33% in 2006. However, there are a few minor generalisation issues and some data inaccuracies in the body paragraphs; for example, the text states 'a smaller number of people had meals once or twice a month in a restaurant in 2006' and has minor misreadings of the percentages in the final paragraph. Despite these minor flaws, the task is well-addressed and all parts are covered adequately, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas together, such as 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'Moreover'. However, some of the cohesive links and transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their introduction of data points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different frequency categories. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional awkward transitions between sentences slightly disrupt the flow. This performance aligns well with Band 6.5 criteria for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'proportion', 'individuals', 'residents', and 'outlets'. There are some successful word choices, but also occasional inaccuracies in collocation or phrasing, such as 'ate in fast food restaurants' versus 'ate at fast food chains'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient to allow for some flexibility and precision, but lacks the more sophisticated and natural control required for a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and time markers (e.g., 'Residents who had their meal several times a week in restaurants were 17%...'). There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'The frequency of people who ate fast food at restaurants every day was less than 5%' which awkwardly conflates frequency with a percentage of people. Punctuation is generally sound, and while errors occur, they rarely impede communication. The command of grammar shows sufficient variety and accuracy to satisfy the requirements for Band 6.0.

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