Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-09

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 illustrates how many frequent people liked to eat junk food at restaurants among 2003 and 2013. The data has been calibrated into pecentile.

Overall, it is crystal clear that highest percentages of peple liked to oily food once a week or twice a month whereas least ratio of individuals visited at restaurants everyday.

At a fleeting glance, approximately 33% of masses were accounted in once a weak in 2006 which is followed by twice a month in 2013 while just only 3% juvinile were came out from everyday in 2006 and 2013. Moreover, a few times a year was recorded at similar proportion on 15% in 2006 and 2013.

Moving ahead, there was a minor difference had been shown by twice a month in the year 2003 and 2006 which was 5%. However, the data of several times a week was ranging from 15% - 20% in given three years. Lastly, less than 5% of people were never visited in fast food restaurants in 2003, 2006 and 2013, orderly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response identifies the main pattern that weekly or monthly visits were most common, while daily visits were among the least common, and it includes several relevant comparisons. The figures cited for weekly visits in 2006 (about 33%), monthly visits in 2013 (about 33%), and eating out a few times a year in 2006 and 2013 (15%) match the chart. However, the overview is not fully precise: monthly visits were not consistently among the highest in every year, and daily visits were not the sole lowest category, since “never” was similarly low. Some comparisons are also unclear, such as “a minor difference” of 5% between 2003 and 2006. A clearer overview and more exact reporting of the main shifts would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to two detail paragraphs. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. The progression is not always smooth, though: “At a fleeting glance” and “Moving ahead” do not clearly explain how the next details relate to the chart, and the final sentence’s “orderly” does not make the comparison clear. Some references are also difficult to follow, particularly “which is followed by twice a month in 2013,” where the comparison is not fully specified. Grouping the figures by the most common and least common frequencies, and using direct comparisons, would make the organisation more coherent and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response attempts a range of vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “proportion,” and “accounted,” but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a chart. Phrases such as “frequent people,” “liked to oily food,” and “came out from everyday” make the intended meaning harder to understand. “Pecentile” is also an incorrect form for the chart’s percentages, while “masses” and “juvenile” are unsuitable for this context. These errors show that the vocabulary range is limited in effective use, despite attempts at less common wording. Prefer precise, familiar reporting language and accurate collocations, such as “the proportion of people who ate at fast-food restaurants” and “the figure stood at.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “whereas” and a clause beginning “which is followed by.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to interpret. For example, “there was a minor difference had been shown” combines incompatible structures, and “less than 5% of people were never visited” uses an incorrect passive form. The opening phrase “how many frequent people liked to eat” also has an unclear grammatical relationship. Build accuracy first with straightforward patterns such as “The proportion was…” and “The figure rose/fell to…,” then add complex clauses once the basic sentence is secure.

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.