Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28

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 7.5)

The bar chart compares how often people in the USA ate at fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, eating fast food once a week or once or twice a month was the most common pattern throughout the period, while eating it every day and never eating it were consistently the least common habits. Over the decade, there was a slight shift from weekly to monthly visits.

In 2003, approximately 31% of Americans ate fast food once a week, making it the largest category, closely followed by those who visited once or twice a month at around 30%. By 2006, the proportion of weekly customers had increased slightly to about 33%, whereas the figure for monthly visits fell to roughly 25%. Meanwhile, the percentage of people eating fast food several times a week rose from about 17% to 20%.

In contrast, by 2013, the most common frequency had become once or twice a month, accounting for approximately 33% of respondents, while the proportion of weekly diners declined to around 28%. The share of people eating fast food several times a week also fell to about 16%. Those who visited only a few times a year increased slightly to around 15%, whereas the percentages of people eating fast food every day and those who never ate it remained very low, at approximately 3% and 4% respectively throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The student fully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear and comprehensive summary of the bar chart detailing the frequency of fast food consumption in the USA between 2003 and 2013. The response features a well-crafted overview that highlights the main trends, such as the dominance of weekly and monthly dining patterns and the slight shift over the decade. Key data points and comparisons are accurately reported, referencing specific percentages and years (e.g., noting that roughly 31% ate fast food once a week in 2003 and about 33% did so once or twice a month by 2013). All figures align closely with the provided visual data, demonstrating a strong command of task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The text is logically sequenced and easy to follow. Ideas are presented with a clear progression from the general overview to specific details across the years. Paragraphing is used effectively, with each body paragraph dealing with distinct temporal data or comparisons. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'while', 'Meanwhile', and 'In contrast' are managed well to guide the reader through the data without being obtrusive. Referencing is clear throughout, and the essay maintains a coherent overall structure from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for an academic task, utilizing terms such as 'proportion', 'category', 'respondents', and 'trend' effectively. Less common vocabulary items and functional phrases like 'most common pattern', 'consistently the least common habits', and 'slight shift' are used accurately. Word choice and collocation are generally natural, though slightly more sophisticated lexical variety could elevate the response further. There are no notable spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses ('while eating it every day...', 'making it the largest category...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and control over grammar and punctuation is strong throughout. The student handles past tense verbs and percentage data accurately. Only very occasional minor slips might occur, but grammar never impedes communication or reduces clarity, placing the writing comfortably at the higher end of the band scale.

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