Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given bar graph deplict illustrate about number of people in USA ate in fast food restaurants in ten years. The date is calibrated in percentage.

Overall, it is crystal clear that people who ate once a week in fast food restruants cantain the highest proportion.

At a glance, people who ate everyday and ate never are not more than 5% in 2003, 2006 and 2013 while individuals who prefer fast food restaurants several times a week in 2003 were more than 15% which was incresed to 20% in 2006 and again decline to approximataly 16%.

Moving ahead, people who usually tend to use fast food restaurants once a week had differance of almost 2% between 2006 and 2003 however in 2013 it was less than 30%. The masses who like going fast food restaurants once or twice a month better than another was 30%, 25% and more than 30 percent in 2003, 2006 and 2013 respectively. People who go few times a year was similar in both 2006 and 2013 which was 15% while in 2003 it was less than 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that weekly dining was the most common frequency overall, and you cover all six categories across the three years. Several comparisons are accurate: weekly visits peak at 33% in 2006 before falling to 28% in 2013, while monthly visits rise to about 33% by 2013. The low figures for daily visits and never eating fast food are also noted. However, the overview is limited to the weekly category and does not clearly summarise the shift from weekly to monthly visits as the leading frequency by 2013. Some details are imprecise: the 2003–2006 weekly difference is about two percentage points, but the wording is unclear, and “once or twice a month better than another” does not explain the comparison. Make the overview more complete and report comparisons precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of supporting comparisons. Sequencing phrases such as “Overall,” “At a glance,” and “Moving ahead” help signal progression, and the figures are generally grouped by frequency. However, some linking language is mechanical or does not express a clear relationship. For example, “Moving ahead” suggests a time sequence, although the paragraph compares categories, while “better than another” leaves the intended comparison unclear. The long final paragraph also moves through several categories without a strong organising principle. Grouping the data into high-frequency and low-frequency patterns, and using clearer links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “decline,” “prefer,” and “approximately,” and the reader can usually understand the intended comparisons. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less clear. Examples include “deplict illustrate,” “the date is calibrated,” “cantain,” and “the masses who like going fast food restaurants.” Some expressions are unnecessarily elaborate where a direct phrase would be more precise. Aim for natural chart language and check spelling carefully; for instance, use “percentage” for the measurement and “people who ate at fast-food restaurants” for the group. More accurate, consistent vocabulary would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “while” and “which,” and most of the main comparisons remain understandable. However, some grammatical errors recur in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “people in USA ate” needs an article and a clearer relative clause, while “people who go few times a year was similar” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an incomplete expression of frequency. The sentence beginning “The masses who like going…” also has an unclear grammatical structure. Use straightforward, complete sentences as a base, then add subordinate clauses only when their relationships are clear. Check articles, plural subjects, and consistent past-tense reporting.

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.