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 provides information about United States of America that how frequently people can eat fast food in restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

From graph it is observed that less proportion are ate fast food on the daily basis (roughly 4% in all three years. In comparison of the people who never eat fast food in restaurant are more in 2005 about 5% and in 2006 and 2013 remains similar as daily eating proportion. Moreover, frequency of eating fast food few times in a year is more in 2006 and 2013 (about 15%) and less 13% in 2003.

In contrast, In 2006, it reached at peak people eat once a week (approximately 33%). Additionally, similar proportion seen in 2013 for those who eat once or twice a month. In 2013, 30% of people eat fast food once a week or twice a month.

Overall, the graph proportion reached at its peak people who eat more frequently in month and week and less people will eat never or rarely like once in year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant features, including the low daily and never categories, the rise in “a few times a year” to about 15%, and the 2006 peak for weekly eating. However, the overview is unclear and does not accurately summarise the main pattern: once a week was the leading category in 2003 and 2006, while once or twice a month became the largest in 2013. Some figures are also misreported: the “never” figure in 2003 was about 4.5%, not in 2005, and the 2013 monthly figure was 33%, not 30%. To strengthen the response, give a clear overview and compare the main categories across all three years more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, and phrases such as “In comparison,” “Moreover,” and “In contrast” show an attempt to connect information. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph moves between daily eating, never eating, and yearly eating without a clear organising principle, while the final “Overall” repeats a broad point rather than drawing the key comparisons together. Some links are also awkward or confusing, such as “In 2013, 30% of people eat fast food once a week or twice a month,” which combines two separate categories. Group the data by the most important trends, and use comparisons that make the relationship between figures explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “proportion,” “frequency,” “daily basis,” and “peak,” so the reader can generally understand what is being described. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “less proportion are ate,” “frequency … is more,” and “graph proportion reached at its peak.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison difficult to follow. Aim for precise chart language and natural combinations, for example “the proportion was lower,” “the figure increased,” and “the highest percentage was recorded.” Also use category labels consistently, such as “once or twice a month,” rather than blending categories together.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including comparisons introduced by “In comparison” and “In contrast,” but control is limited and errors occur frequently. Examples include “that how frequently people can eat,” “less proportion are ate,” and “it reached at peak people eat once a week,” where clause structure and verb forms are faulty. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and tense, as in “the people who never eat fast food in restaurant are more” and “people eat fast food.” These errors sometimes slow the reader’s understanding. Practise building accurate simple comparison sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while keeping the subject, verb, and tense clear.

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