Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-11

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 bar chart illustrates how frequently citizens in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the USA individuals ate fast foods in restaurants almost every week. It accounted for the highest figures. While, every day represented the lowest share throughout the given period.

Looking at the details, only 4% of people ate foods in restaurants every day in 2003, then it decreased to 3% in 2006 and 2013. In 2003, 17% USA citizens ate foods outside several times a week and the proportion increased to 20% in 2006, but it considerably dropped by 4% in 2013. Similarly, once a week accounted for the largest share was 31% people and then it drasmatically increased by 2%, after that it declined to 28%.

Once or twice a month has the highest figures throughout the given period, was 30%, 25% and 37% in 2003, 2006 and 2013. Subsequently, 12% people went to a few times a year in restaurant in 2003. However, it remained constant in 2006 and 2013, which was 15%. The rest of the categories never ate foods in restaurants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant figures, including the daily-eating proportions and the rise in weekly eating from 31% to 33% before it fell to 28%. However, the overview is not fully accurate: “almost every week” does not capture the main pattern, and daily eating was not the lowest category in every year, since “never” was lower in 2006 and 2013. You also state that monthly eating reached 37% in 2013, whereas the chart shows about 33%. The claim that this category had the highest figures throughout is also incorrect, as once-a-week eating was slightly higher in 2003 and 2006. Select the main comparisons more carefully and check each figure against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the data. The categories are generally presented in a sensible order, and linking expressions such as “Similarly” and “Subsequently” help connect points. However, the overview does not clearly establish the main trends, and the final sentence, “The rest of the categories never ate foods in restaurants,” is unclear because it confuses people’s behaviour with the chart’s frequency category. Some transitions are also awkward or mechanical, such as “While” beginning a sentence fragment and “However” introducing a trend that is actually stable. Group the categories into meaningful comparisons and use clear references to the people or percentages being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “share,” “decreased” and “declined,” and the meaning is usually understandable. However, several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “USA individuals,” “ate foods outside,” and “went to a few times a year in restaurant.” “Fast foods” is also less suitable than the chart’s phrase “fast food,” while “drasmatically” contains a spelling error. Repetition of “ate foods in restaurants” limits the range of language used to describe the data. Aim for accurate collocations and vary your reporting verbs, while keeping the wording concise and formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, and most of the numerical information can be followed. However, complex structures are not consistently controlled. For example, “While, every day represented the lowest share” is an incomplete contrast clause, and “Once or twice a month has the highest figures throughout the given period, was 30%...” combines clauses without a clear grammatical connection. In “once a week accounted for the largest share was 31% people,” the sentence structure is also faulty. There are further issues with articles and sentence construction, as in “in restaurant.” Use complete clauses, check that each subject has a clear verb, and separate long comparisons into shorter sentences.

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