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)

The bar chart illustrates the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants among people in the USA, during a 10 years period.

Overall, once a week and once or twice a month had the most percentage of people who often went to fast food restaurants, but they had different trends, while everyday recorded the lowest figure of people. Also, everyday had similar pattern with never.

In 2003, once a week accounted for over 30% of people in American who frequented a fast food. Then the number rose in 2006 to above 30%, before decreasing to above 25%. While in once or twice a week, 2003 stood at approximately 30% of people, before dropping to 25% in 2006, and rising to above 30% in 2013, making it the year with most percentage of people to visit a restaurant.

In constrast, everyday accounted for the lowest proportion of people. in 2003, it recorded

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main categories and make a useful comparison between weekly and monthly visits, correctly noting that monthly visits rose to the highest level in 2013. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not clearly summarise the overall changes across all three years, and the claim that daily visits had the lowest figure overlooks that “never” was similarly low. Some figures are imprecise or misreported: weekly visits in 2013 were about 28%, not simply “above 25%,” and the second category is once or twice a month, not “once or twice a week.” The response also ends mid-sentence, leaving the daily and never figures unreported. Select the key trends accurately and complete the comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs intended to describe the data. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Then,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships. However, progression is uneven: the final paragraph begins a new comparison but stops after “in 2003, it recorded,” so the discussion is not brought to a conclusion. The phrase “While in once or twice a week” also makes the relationship between the categories difficult to follow, and the overview repeats the idea of low daily frequency without developing it. Use one paragraph for the overview and organise the details by meaningful trends, ensuring each comparison is completed and references such as “it” are clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “recorded,” “proportion,” and “decreasing,” which allows you to describe the chart rather than merely list figures. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “had the most percentage” and “the year with most percentage of people” are awkward, while “frequented a fast food” does not express the intended meaning naturally. There is also a spelling error in “constrast,” and “everyday” is used where the frequency label should be “every day.” These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but more accurate collocations and careful spelling would make the report clearer and more appropriate in style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sequence with “before” and “while,” and the main comparisons are generally understandable. However, some structures are incomplete or awkwardly formed. The final sentence, “in 2003, it recorded,” has no completed idea, and “While in once or twice a week, 2003 stood…” is not a well-formed clause. There are also errors in articles and phrasing, as in “during a 10 years period” and “in fast food restaurants,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation after a full stop (“in 2003”). Aim to write complete sentences, check singular and plural forms, and use clear clause structures when comparing the years.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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