Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-06

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 5.0)

The presented bar chart illustrates how frequently people ate fast food restaurants in the USA between 8 years.The data is expressed as a percentage.

As an overall trend,it could be seen that in 2006 ate fast food in restaurant in once a week highest and every day routine lowest in 2006.While in 2013 once or twice a month value is highest and lowest value had every day ate in restaurant.Moreover,in 2003 once a week value of ate in fast food restaurant stand on highest and lowest was every day ate in fast food restaurant.

According to the graph,it is clearly evident that ate in fast food restaurant once a week in 2003,2006and2013 stand on 31%,33% and27% respectively While once or twice a month

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and make relevant comparisons across the three years, including the shift from weekly eating being most common in 2003 and 2006 to monthly eating in 2013. However, the response is incomplete: it ends after “While once or twice a month,” so this key comparison is not reported, and several other categories are omitted. Some figures are inaccurate: weekly eating in 2013 is about 28%, not 27%, and the opening says the period is “between 8 years” rather than 2003–2013. The overview also repeats the lowest-frequency point without clearly summarising the main overall pattern. The response is 27 words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and complete the comparisons with accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction is followed by an overview and then a detail paragraph. The sequence of years is generally understandable, and phrases such as “Moreover” and “According to the graph” signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited because the overview repeats similar points about the highest and lowest categories, while the final sentence breaks off before completing its comparison. Linking is also awkward in places, particularly “While in 2013…” and the long overview sentence, which makes relationships between ideas unclear. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and selected data, group related categories, and complete each comparison so the reader can follow the report from beginning to end.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to identify the topic and basic comparisons, with phrases such as “bar chart,” “percentage,” “highest,” and “lowest.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, especially “ate in fast food restaurant” and “value.” Some word combinations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “every day routine lowest” and “stand on 31%,” which can make the intended meaning harder to follow. Use concise chart-reporting language and vary the terms for frequency and proportion. For example, describe a category as “accounted for” a percentage or say that a frequency “was the most common.” Check that vocabulary choices fit the data rather than using general phrases like “value of ate.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to understand. Examples include “in 2006 ate fast food in restaurant in once a week highest,” which lacks a clear subject and verb structure, and “once a week value of ate … stand on,” where the sentence pattern is faulty. The opening phrase “between 8 years” also does not form a correct time expression. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, as in “2006and2013” and the missing comma after “According to the graph.” Practise complete subject–verb sentences, accurate past-tense reporting, and punctuation between clauses. A clearer pattern is: “In 2006, eating once a week was the most common frequency.”

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