Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-29
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 given bar chart provides information about how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013, measured in percentages.
Overall, once a week accounted for the highest figure in 2006 , whereas every day recorded the lowest figure in 2006 . Regarding once a week, it registered the highest figure in 2003, while every day accounted for the smallest share in 2003. In terms of once or twice a month, it represented the highest figure in 2013, while every day had the lowest figure in 2013; however, once a week occupied the second-highest in 2013.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 101 words. This severely limits the candidate's ability to fully summarise the information, select main features, and make relevant comparisons. While the introduction accurately identifies the chart topic, the body paragraphs only mention isolated extremes (highest and lowest figures) for each year without providing a comprehensive overview of the main trends across the six categories. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response exhibits some organisation with a clear introduction and a separate overview/body paragraph. However, there is no clear overall progression or logical grouping of data. Instead of grouping categories by frequency or time period, the writing awkwardly lists the highest and lowest points for each year sequentially. Cohesive devices such as 'Regarding', 'In terms of', and 'however' are used, but their mechanical repetition makes the progression feel disjointed. Paragraphing is also inadequate, as the body consists of a single dense paragraph. Overall, the structural arrangement reflects band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate and relevant to the task, including phrases like 'accounted for the highest figure', 'recorded the lowest figure', and 'smallest share'. However, the range is limited and repetitive, with the exact same phrases reused across different years (e.g., 'accounted for the highest figure' and 'lowest figure'). There are no glaring spelling errors, but the lack of lexical flexibility and absence of less common vocabulary items prevents the response from reaching a higher band. This represents a solid band 6.0 performance for resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising subordinate clauses correctly (e.g., 'The given bar chart provides information about how frequently...'). Grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled, and there are no severe errors that impede communication. While the range of structures is somewhat restricted due to the short length of the text, the sentences produced are mostly accurate. This performance aligns well with the band 6.0 descriptors for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.