Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-20

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 chart illustrates the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants among people in the USA between 2003 to 2013.

Overall, the highest frequency of people eating at fast food restaurants were once a week and twice a month, whereas lowest frequency of people in every day and never.

To begin with, in 2003, less than 5% people preferred fast food everyday, whereas in 2006 and 2013 individuals preferred similar frequency in every day. Moreover, more than 15% citizens prioritize fast food in several times a week in 2003, similarly in 2006, 20% people eating fast food several times a week, however in 2013 people were ate less than compare to 2003. In adddition, more than 30% fast food was ate by people in 2003 and approximately 35% in 2006 as well as more than 25% once a week.

Furthermore, 30% people ate fast food in 2003, 25% in 2006, and 35% in 2013 once or twice a month. Therefore, more than 20% people prefer fast food in 2003, 15% in both the years 2006 and 2013 a few times a year. Lastly, 5% people use fast food in 2003 and less than 5% in both the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include comparisons across all six frequency categories, with several figures broadly matching the data—for example, monthly eating rises from 25% in 2006 to 33% in 2013. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: weekly and monthly eating are not jointly the highest throughout, and daily eating and never are the least common categories. Some details are also misreported or difficult to interpret. For instance, the 2013 weekly figure is 28%, not simply “more than 25%,” and “more than 20%” for eating a few times a year in 2003 is incorrect; the figure is about 12.5%. Select the main trends accurately and distinguish weekly from monthly patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “Lastly” help signal progression. However, the organisation is not consistently clear: the first detail paragraph combines daily, several-times-a-week, and once-a-week figures, then shifts to another category without a clear comparison. Some linking words are used mechanically or do not show the relationship between ideas, as in “Moreover” and “similarly.” The final paragraph also leaves the reader to infer which figures refer to which category. Group the data into meaningful comparisons—such as frequent eating versus monthly or occasional eating—and use clear references to each frequency.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-related terms, including “frequency,” “approximately,” and “prioritize,” and the reader can generally identify the categories being discussed. However, vocabulary is often repetitive or collocationally inaccurate, which makes some comparisons awkward: people do not usually “prioritize fast food in several times a week,” and “fast food was ate” is not a natural way to describe the data. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “adddition,” while “use fast food” is imprecise in this context. Choose neutral reporting language and repeat the chart’s category labels accurately where needed, rather than forcing synonyms that do not fit.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses joined with “whereas” and “however,” but control is inconsistent and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “between 2003 to 2013” and “the highest frequency … were,” where the preposition and subject–verb agreement are faulty. Verb forms are also problematic in “people were ate less” and “fast food was ate,” and several sentences omit articles or use incomplete grammatical patterns, such as “less than 5% people.” These errors sometimes make it difficult to follow which year or category a figure describes. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build comparisons with complete, parallel sentence structures.

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