Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-30

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 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.

Looking first at 2006, once a week occupied the top position, at around 33%, followed by once or twice a month, several times a week, a few times a year, and never, whose figures stood at approximately 25%, 20%, 15%, and 4%, respectively, whereas every day recorded the lowest figure, at around 3%.

Regarding 2003, once a week, once or twice a month, a few times a year, several times a week, and never recorded approximately 31%, 30%, 13%, 16%, and 5%, respectively, whereas every day accounted for only 4%.

Turning to 2013, every day registered the lowest figure, at around 3%, with never, a few times a year, several times a week, and once a week at approximately 4%, 15%, 16%, and 28%, respectively, while once or twice a month ranked first, at around 33%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the data across the years 2003, 2006, and 2013. An appropriate overview is provided, noting key extremes such as the highest and lowest eating frequencies. Data points are accurately extracted from the visual and reported correctly (e.g., 'once a week occupied the top position, at around 33%' in 2006). Comparisons are made where relevant, and the response is well-grounded in the provided visual data without noticeable fabrications or omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression from the introduction and overview to the detailed body paragraphs. Each body paragraph focuses on a specific year, ensuring a structured approach. Cohesive devices such as 'Regarding', 'In terms of', 'Looking first at', and 'Turning to' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data, although the paragraphing and linking patterns become slightly formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to handle the task flexibly and precisely. Phrases such as 'accounted for the highest figure', 'occupied the top position', and 'registered the lowest figure' show good control of reporting language. While some phrasing is repetitive, the vocabulary is adequate for conveying precise statistical data, and there are no spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'while once a week occupied the second-highest in 2013'). Grammatical control is generally strong with frequent error-free sentences, though sentence openings and structures can be somewhat repetitive. Minor punctuation errors are present, but they do not cause any difficulty for the reader.

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