Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-13

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 chart demostrates the frequency of Americans going out to eat at a fast food restaurant between the year 2003 up until 2013.

Overall, the majority of people eating out took place in the year 2006 compared to the rest of the years. However, in 2003 the value of individuals eating fast food everyday was at its lowest.

In this chart 32.5% of people prefer eating out once every week in the year 2006 falling behind is 31.5% people from the year 2003 and in 2013 the percentage was 27%. The percentage of individuals going out once a week, once or twice a month is somewhat similar to each other. However, 2013 has taken the lead in this regard with 32.5% of Americans dining out.

The percentage of people who love going out everyday is extremely low which is at 4% in 2003 up until 2013 it decreased and stayed at 3%. If a comparison is made between people eating out everyday and never going out in 2003, 5% people never go out to eat which went down till 4% in [redacted phone]. In the end, people going out very few times a year had similar percentage of 15% compared to 13% in 2003.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant categories and make comparisons, including the weekly peak in 2006 and the monthly peak in 2013. However, the overview is not accurate: “the majority of people eating out took place in the year 2006” is unclear and overstates the data, since no single year shows a majority. Some figures are also misreported: weekly eating was about 33%, 31% and 28% across the three years, while monthly eating was about 30%, 25% and 33%; your figures differ in places. The claim that never-eaters fell to 4% also misses the chart’s approximate 3.5% in both 2006 and 2013. Select the main overall pattern accurately, then support it with carefully checked comparisons across categories and years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons of weekly, monthly and less frequent visits. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear: the overview’s claim about “the majority” is difficult to interpret, and the third paragraph shifts between weekly and monthly figures without clearly separating the two trends. Phrases such as “falling behind is” and “in this regard” do not make the relationships between figures precise, while “In the end” is not an appropriate signal for the final data comparison. Group the information by meaningful trends and use clear references to each frequency and year so comparisons are easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “percentage,” “individuals,” “once or twice a month” and “a few times a year,” so the subject is generally understandable. There is some variation in how you refer to people and eating out. However, several choices are imprecise or conversational for a chart report: “people who love going out” adds an unsupported attitude, and “taken the lead” is less exact than saying the figure was highest. “The value of individuals eating fast food” is also an awkward collocation, and “demostrates” is misspelled. Aim for neutral, precise reporting language and use terms such as “proportion,” “accounted for” and “recorded” accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparative sentences, and the main message is usually recoverable. However, complex constructions are not consistently controlled. For example, “In this chart 32.5% of people prefer eating out once every week in the year 2006 falling behind is…” lacks a clear grammatical connection between the clauses. “The percentage of individuals going out once a week, once or twice a month is somewhat similar” has an unclear subject and agreement, while “If a comparison is made between people eating out everyday and never going out in 2003, 5% people…” is awkwardly structured. Use complete, direct sentences, check articles and prepositions, and punctuate comparisons so each figure is clearly attached to its year and category.

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