Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-10

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 bar chart illustrated the people of USA ate fast food in the restaurant between 2003 and 2013.

Overall, the people ate fast food has never been dropped in between these years but majority of people of ate fast food once a week in the USA.

In 2003, the rate of eating fast food daily is just 4% and approximately 17% in several times a week, but its steadily rise up for week or two times a month of about 30% and 31% respectively. In 2006 and 2013, the everyday percentage is drop to just 3% and increases to 33% for a week but in 2013, it was drop to 28%.The people of USA ate fast food in a month increases in 2013 and rise to 33% while in 2006, it was drop to 25%.

In contrast , the people of USA ate fat food in the restaurant increase in 2013 as compared to 2003 but the majority of people ate fast food in 2006. Those people who never ate fast food is just below 5% in between 2003 and 2006.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant figures, such as daily eating at 4% in 2003 and monthly eating reaching 33% in 2013. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “has never been dropped” does not describe the changing frequencies, and the claim that most people ate fast food once a week is not true across the period. The largest category shifts from once a week in 2003 and 2006 to once or twice a month in 2013. Some comparisons are also confused, including the 2003 weekly and monthly figures, which are reversed in your account. Select the main pattern accurately, then support it with a few clear comparisons across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an opening, an overview, and further details, and it attempts to contrast information using “Overall” and “In contrast.” However, the progression is difficult to follow because figures and categories are repeated or mixed together. For example, the sentence beginning “In 2006 and 2013” moves between daily, weekly, and monthly frequencies without clearly separating the years. The final paragraph introduces a broad comparison that does not connect clearly to the preceding details. Use one paragraph for the overview and organise the data paragraphs by frequency or by year, with each comparison stated explicitly. This would make the relationships between figures easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “percentage,” “daily,” and “once a week,” so the reader can recognise the subject of the chart. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the intended meaning unclear. Phrases such as “the people of USA ate fast food in the restaurant increase” and “fat food” are not suitable descriptions of the data. “Rise up” and “drop” are also used repeatedly where more precise reporting verbs would help. Aim to use a small range of accurate chart language, such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “the proportion of people who ate out,” while keeping category labels consistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response is generally recognisable as a description of the chart. However, errors are frequent, especially in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “the people ate fast food has never been dropped,” “the everyday percentage is drop,” and “in 2006, it was drop to 25%.” These forms make some comparisons difficult to understand. There are also missing or misplaced grammatical elements in phrases such as “majority of people of ate fast food.” Practise forming accurate past-tense sentences with a clear subject and verb—for example, “The proportion fell to 25% in 2006”—and check punctuation where sentences run together.

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