Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-19

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 compares the proportion of how frequently people living in USA visit fast-food outlets between three different years 2003, 2006 and 2013.

Overall, it is evident that the highest number of people are interested to visit restaurants once in a week and once in a month, while on everyday basis least number of people are being attracted.

In 2003, consumption of fast food at restaurants once a week at nearly 32% makes it most popular frequency, and similar proportion for twice or once a month at exactly 30%. Meanwhile, roughly 20% of americans Approximately 18% of people have shown interest to visit restaurants a few times a year and 5% are those who never tried fast food at restaurants.In contrast, trend of arrival of customers has reached its peak at nearly 33% for once a week visitors in 2006. Guests for several visits in a week are highest in 2006 at 20% while, least in 2003 at 16%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview, noting that weekly and monthly visits were common while daily visits were least common. You also report some relevant figures, including the weekly peak in 2006 and the 20% figure for several visits a week that year. However, the response only partially covers the data: it gives little account of 2013 and does not clearly compare the main changes across all three years. There is also a significant misreading in the 2003 description: the chart shows about 12.5% eating fast food a few times a year, not approximately 18%, and the sentence confusingly introduces “roughly 20%” without a clear category. Select the key trends accurately and compare them across the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an introductory sentence, an overview, and a paragraph containing figures. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “In contrast” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, progression is uneven: the main paragraph moves from 2003 to 2006 and then back to a comparison with 2003, while 2013 is not integrated into the account. The phrase “Meanwhile, roughly 20% of americans Approximately 18%...” is especially difficult to follow, and missing spaces after full stops further disrupt the flow. Organise the body by comparing categories or years consistently, and use clear sentence boundaries and references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “frequency,” “peak,” and “visitors,” and you attempt variation rather than relying only on “people.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing a chart. “Interested to visit,” “being attracted,” and “trend of arrival of customers” suggest motivation or customer arrivals rather than reported eating frequency. “Consumption ... once a week” is also an awkward way to describe the category. In addition, “twice or once a month” does not accurately express the chart label “once or twice a month.” Use straightforward, precise reporting language such as “the proportion who ate out” and “the share visiting once or twice a month.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including a comparative overview and longer sentences beginning with “In 2003” and “In contrast.” However, control is inconsistent, and some structures make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “the highest number of people are interested to visit” has an awkward construction, while “once a week at nearly 32% makes it most popular frequency” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the figure and the category. The sentence beginning “Meanwhile” contains two competing clauses and no clear punctuation between them. There are also issues with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “in USA” and “restaurants.In contrast.” Aim for complete, clearly structured sentences, with accurate articles and punctuation.

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