Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-29

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 illustrates the proportion of people in the USA who often consumes fast food in restaurants from the year 2003 to 2013.

Overall, the data clearly shows 6 marked as sinificantly higher number of people ate once or twice a month and once a week in fast food hotels. Although 2003 also has less difference in the data. Whereas less proportion of folks ate everyday and never ate outside category also had least common habbit of eatin outside. People who preferred several times a week and a few times a year shows minimal fast food eating pattern.

In 2003 in the USA, 32% of fast food eaters preffered once a week to eat at fast food resturants contributed largest proportion. It dipped to 30% is the second highest and people did not like to eat everyday which shows just 4%and never ate at fast food resturants are 5% Seberal times and few times a year is 16% and 13%.

In 2006, 33% ate once a week, 25% once or twice a month 20% several times again everday and never ate category had least percentage of pupil 3 and 4%.

In 2013 the highest 33% of people ate once or twicw a month, 26% once a week, everyday is 4% and never is 3%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories and make a useful attempt to compare the three years, including the shift from weekly eating being highest in 2003 and 2006 to monthly eating in 2013. However, the overview is unclear and contains unsupported or inaccurate claims: “6 marked as significantly higher” does not explain the chart, and the statement that several-times-a-week and a-few-times-a-year eating showed a “minimal” pattern overlooks their substantial shares. Some figures are also misreported: for example, 2003 weekly eating is about 31%, not 32%, and 2013 weekly eating is about 28%, not 26%. Select the clearest overall trends and report the key figures accurately; the current coverage is relevant but only partly developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has separate paragraphs for an overview and each year, which gives it some organisation, and the year-by-year sequence is easy to recognise. However, progression is weakened by unclear links and crowded lists. The overview’s “Although 2003 also has less difference in the data” does not clearly explain what is being compared, while “Whereas” begins a fragment rather than connecting a complete idea. In the 2003 paragraph, several categories and percentages are compressed into one sentence, making their relationships difficult to follow. Use a clear overview followed by grouped comparisons, and connect related figures with precise transitions such as “by contrast” or “while.” This would make the organisation more coherent and reduce the need for the reader to infer meaning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “highest,” “dipped,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or unsuitable for describing a chart. “Fast food hotels” and “preferred … to eat” are unnatural in this context; “folks” is too informal, and “marked as significantly higher number” is unclear. Spelling errors such as “sinificantly,” “preffered,” “resturants,” and “twicw” also reduce precision. Aim for consistent, neutral chart language—for example, “the proportion who ate at fast-food restaurants,” “accounted for,” and “declined”—and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts at longer and more complex sentences, including the opening overview and the sentence beginning “Although,” but these are often faulty or incomplete. For example, “the proportion of people … who often consumes” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “Although 2003 also has less difference in the data” is an incomplete, unclear construction. The response also shifts between present and past forms (“shows,” “ate,” “dipped”) and contains run-on sentences, particularly in the 2003 paragraph, where several figures are joined without clear sentence boundaries. Use past tense consistently for the years shown, check agreement, and separate each comparison into a complete sentence. More reliable control of simple structures would make the information easier to understand.

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