Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-18

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 graph illustrates the fequency of people ate at fast food restaurants in the USA from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, the percentage remains higher in eating fast food once a week and once or twice a month in all years. The lowest figure was seen in the every day or never. While the several times a week and a year was almost same.

As per graph, around 33% of people consumed the most fast food in once a week in 2006 wheras, 33% of people consumed once or twice a month in 2013. In 2003, the most consumed figure was in once a week and once oe twicw a month keeping at 31% and 30%.

The lowest rate in USA was in every day eating and then reaching to almost never. All of the years the rate was generally low in these two categories. While, several time a week and a few times a year was at the second most consumed categories.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that weekly and monthly visits account for the largest shares, and you correctly report the peaks of 33% for weekly visits in 2006 and monthly visits in 2013. You also note that daily eating and never eating are the smallest categories. However, the overview is partly unclear: “several times a week and a year was almost same” does not specify which figures or years are being compared, and the claim that these were the “second most consumed categories” is not consistently supported by the chart. The response gives few comparisons across all three years and omits the notable shift from weekly visits being highest in 2003 and 2006 to monthly visits in 2013. Select the key changes and describe them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and the paragraph breaks help separate these functions. Some progression is present, particularly in the comparison of the 2006 weekly peak with the 2013 monthly peak. However, several links between ideas are unclear or mechanical. For example, “While the several times a week and a year was almost same” is an incomplete, confusing statement, and the final paragraph repeats the low-frequency point before introducing another comparison with “While.” Group the figures by meaningful trends and use complete sentences to show how each comparison relates to the overview. Clearer referencing would also help readers understand which years and categories are being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “percentage,” “figure,” “rate,” and “categories,” and terms like “consumed” help communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or combinations sound unnatural, including “the most fast food,” “the lowest rate in USA,” and “second most consumed categories.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “fequency,” “wheras,” and “twicw,” which reduce the accuracy and polish of the report. Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations—for example, say that a category “accounted for the largest share” or that people “ate at restaurants” at a particular frequency. Proofreading spelling and word forms would make the information easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer structures, including the sentence beginning “While the several times a week…” and the comparison introduced by “As per graph,” but these attempts are often faulty. The opening, “the fequency of people ate,” has an incorrect verb pattern; “the percentage remains higher” also uses an unsuitable tense for a chart covering past years. Other problems include missing or incorrect articles and prepositions in “in the every day” and “in once a week,” as well as incomplete clauses beginning with “While.” These errors sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to understand. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build comparisons with complete clauses, such as “The proportion eating weekly was highest in 2006.”

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