Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-08

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)

Researchers collected data on fast food consumption habits of people in the United States of America, between 2003 and 2013. They compiled the responses in the following bar chart.

Data shows that a very less number of people have never had fast food - 5% in 2003 and even lesser a decade later. By 2013, over 95% of Americans consume fast food in varying frequencies.

Further division shows that about 30% of the population ate fast food only once a week in 2003. In 2006, this number increased marginally. But it decreased significantly, to about 27% of the population, by 2013. A similar trend is seen for people who eat fast food several times a week.

Contrary to this, the number of people who ate fast food only once or twice a month has seen a jump from 25% in 2006 to ~32% in 2013. Similarly, the number people who only ate it a few times a year increased from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, we see an increased preference for fast food in 2006, with total consumers increasing in the 3 years since the first survey. But its popularity decreased by 2013, with reducing frequency of consumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify several important patterns, including the weekly category peaking in 2006 and the monthly category rising to its highest level in 2013. The figures you give for these comparisons are broadly consistent with the chart. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the chart does not show an overall increase in fast-food preference in 2006 followed by a general decline in 2013. Instead, weekly eating falls by 2013 while monthly eating rises, and the share who ate fast food a few times a year also increases. Some details are vague or incomplete, such as “even lesser” for the never category and the unspecified values for several-times-a-week eating. A clearer overview of these contrasting shifts would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into clear paragraphs, moving from an introduction to selected comparisons and then a concluding overview. Linking expressions such as “But,” “Similarly,” and “Contrary to this” help signal relationships between points, and the reader can follow the main discussion. The progression is generally logical, though the final paragraph repeats and overgeneralises the trends rather than synthesising the specific category changes. Some references are also imprecise: “this number” and “its popularity” require the reader to infer exactly which measure or category is meant. To strengthen the flow, group the categories that rise together and those that fall, then use the overview to summarise those contrasts without introducing a broad claim that conflicts with the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “consumption habits,” “marginally,” “decreased significantly,” and “increased preference.” These choices make the comparisons understandable, and there is some attempt to vary wording rather than repeat “ate.” However, several expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “a very less number,” “even lesser,” and “the number people,” while “a jump” is less formal than a precise description of a rise. “Popularity” also suggests a general preference that the chart does not directly measure. Aim for accurate collocations and neutral reporting language, such as “a smaller proportion,” “fell,” or “the share of people who ate out.” This would improve precision and formality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “But it decreased significantly…” and the relative clause “people who ate fast food only once or twice a month.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons clearly. Some grammatical errors remain, however: “a very less number” has an incorrect comparative construction, “the number people” is missing “of,” and “the number … has seen a jump” does not maintain a clear grammatical relationship between the number and the people. Tense use is also inconsistent in places, for example “Data shows” followed by “have never had” and “consume.” Use past forms consistently when describing the chart, and check articles, prepositions, and agreement in longer sentences.

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