Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustration depicts how people in the USA frequently eat at fast food restaurants during the timeframe of 2003 to 2013.

Overall, above 25 percent of the people like to eat at fast food restaurants once a week, once or twice a month or a few times a year. But, there are also people who like to eat several time a week and even everyday while other like to eat only a few times a year or never.

Looking at the number of people who would like to eat frequently, above 15 percent want to eat several times a week in the year 2003, increasing two 20 percent and later decreased to near 15 percent. The number of people who like to eat once a week slightly increased in the year 2003 but decreased to under 30 percent. About the same number of people like to eat once or twice a month in the year 2003 but apparently decreased about 5 percent in the mid year but later increased above 30 percent.

In contrast, the number of people who only likes to eat a few times a year was increased around 10 percent to 15 percent in the mid year and saturated till the end. There are also less than 5 percent who do wants to eat every day similarly who never wants to eat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and report several relevant trends, including the rise in monthly visits by 2013 and the low proportions who ate fast food every day or never. However, some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “above 25 percent” is not an accurate summary of all three categories listed, since eating a few times a year was around 12.5–15%. The weekly figure did not increase in 2003; it was about 31% then, peaked at 33% in 2006, and fell to 28% in 2013. The overview also repeats categories rather than clearly highlighting the main shifts. Select the most important trends and report each with precise year-to-year comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing groups of frequencies. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the body is sometimes difficult to follow because categories and years are not consistently compared. Phrases such as “Looking at the number of people who would like to eat frequently” group together different patterns, while “In contrast” introduces a category that does not form a clear contrast with the preceding information. Some linking is also mechanical, with repeated “there are also” and “but.” Organise the details into clearer groups—for example, frequent visits versus monthly or less frequent visits—and use explicit year references to make comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “timeframe,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “saturated,” and the reader can generally understand the categories being discussed. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing chart data. “People who would like to eat” suggests preference rather than reported behaviour, and “saturated till the end” is not a natural way to describe a figure that remained stable. Repetition of “like to eat” also reduces precision. Use neutral reporting language and accurate trend collocations, such as “the proportion who ate” and “remained stable.” This would make the account more concise and better suited to an academic chart summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction recur. For instance, “increasing two 20 percent” should use a form such as “increasing to 20 percent,” while “the number … was increased” incorrectly uses a passive construction for a changing figure. In “other like to eat” and “the number … who only likes,” agreement is inconsistent; “who never wants” also does not fit the plural subject. Some sentences combine several comparisons without clear grammatical control. Practise describing trends with accurate past-tense forms and check subject–verb agreement, especially when the subject is “the number” or “people.”

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