Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-27

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)

As far as this graphical description is concerned, this bar chart represents the people use fast food in a decade which starts from 2003.

Overall, it is clear that some noticeable trends and differences. Some aspects increase while others decrease and few remain relatively stable.

The provided chart illustrate the people, who used fast food once a week or month are on the top with plus 33% in 2006 and 2013 while on the other hand the people who eats fast food every day are 4% in 2003 while decrease to 3% in 2006 and 2013. So the everyday users are on the lowest position in chart.

According to chart there are few people in average position who use the fast food several times a week with 20% in 2006 while 17%in 2003 and 16% in 2013 along with this people eat fast food few times a year are at 15% in 2006 and 2013 and in 2003 are only 12%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview that the figures vary, with daily eating remaining low. You also include several relevant comparisons, such as weekly eating peaking at 33% in 2006 and daily eating falling from 4% to 3%. However, the account is only partly complete: it does not clearly report the important shift in the leading category from once a week in 2003 and 2006 to once or twice a month in 2013. The claim that “once a week or month” reached 33% in both 2006 and 2013 is inaccurate; 33% applies to once a week in 2006, while monthly eating reached 33% in 2013. Develop a clearer overview and report the categories separately to make the main trends accurate and complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a general overview and further details. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “Overall” and “According to chart” signal transitions. However, the progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear. The third paragraph combines weekly and monthly figures, then daily figures, while the final paragraph joins several categories in one long sentence, making comparisons difficult to follow. Some linking phrases, including “along with this,” feel mechanical and do not clarify the relationship between the data. Group the figures into clear comparisons—for example, frequent eating, monthly eating and the lowest-frequency categories—and use shorter sentences with precise references to each category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “increase,” “decrease,” “relatively stable,” “percentage” and “lowest position.” These choices show an attempt to vary language rather than simply list figures. However, the range is limited and several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “people use fast food” does not accurately describe eating frequency, and “on the top with plus 33%” is not a natural way to identify the highest figure. Repetition of “people” and “fast food” also limits flexibility. Practise standard chart language such as “the proportion of respondents,” “accounted for” and “stood at,” while ensuring that the wording distinguishes each frequency category accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “while,” and the reader can generally understand the broad message. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. Examples include “it is clear that some noticeable trends and differences,” which lacks a complete grammatical structure, and “The provided chart illustrate,” where the subject and verb do not agree. There are also errors in relative clauses and verb forms, as in “the people, who used fast food once a week or month are on the top.” The final sentence runs several comparisons together without clear punctuation. Build accuracy by using complete subject–verb clauses, checking agreement and tense, and separating each comparison into a manageable sentence.

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