Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-16

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)

This bar chart depicts the percentage of individual consuming fast food in the USA from 2003 to 2013.

It shows that percentage of people eating fast food remained maximum over the decade.From 2006 to 2013, almost 35% of the population consumes fast food as compared to the 2003.While the ratio of citizens who never eats or eat every day was equal to or less than 5% with every day users having relatively low proportion.

As for the residents eating several times per week was 15-20% with a slight increases in 2006 before falling while the one having fast food few times per year was only 10-15% which was relatively low in 2003 and rise gradually and remain constant over the years.

Overall, the total percentage of people consuming fast food weekly or monthly was exceptionally high while the individuals having every day was the minimum percentage in the whole decade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and make a broad comparison between frequent and infrequent eating, noting that daily consumption was low and weekly or monthly eating was more common. However, the overview is not consistently accurate: saying the percentage “remained maximum” is unclear, and the claim that almost 35% consumed fast food from 2006 to 2013 does not describe the chart’s main pattern. The highest category shifts from once a week in 2003 and 2006 to once or twice a month in 2013. You also omit this key shift and give few precise comparisons across all three years. To strengthen the response, select the main peaks and changes, and report them accurately with clear year-by-year figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a description of several categories, and a concluding overview. Linking expressions such as “As for” and “Overall” help signal movement between points. However, the progression is not always clear because several categories and trends are compressed into long sentences, and the relationship between the opening claim and the later details is difficult to follow. For example, “remained maximum over the decade” is not clearly connected to the figures that follow. Grouping the categories more systematically—such as frequent eating first, then occasional or no eating—and using clearer references to the years would make the comparisons easier to track. Cohesion is generally present, though some connections are imprecise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing a chart, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “relatively low,” “slight increases,” and “remain constant.” These choices show an effort to avoid repeating the same basic terms. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, however, such as “percentage of individual consuming,” “remained maximum,” and “the one having fast food few times per year.” These phrases make parts of the report less precise, even though the general topic remains understandable. Aim for standard chart language and natural collocations, for example “the proportion of people who ate fast food” and “the largest share.” More precise vocabulary would also help distinguish frequency categories clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “While” and a sentence describing change over time. However, grammatical errors occur often enough to make some statements difficult to interpret. Examples include “percentage of people eating fast food remained maximum,” “the population consumes,” and “citizens who never eats,” where articles, tense consistency, and subject–verb agreement need attention. The sentence beginning “While the ratio…” is also a fragment because it does not complete the contrast. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, as in “decade.From.” Practise forming complete sentences and checking agreement and past-tense reporting; these changes would make your comparisons clearer while preserving your attempts at varied structures.

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