Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-05

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 illustrates how many individuals were ate fast food in restaurants in USA from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that people show same intrest in once a week and once or twice a month, whereas individuals who never ate fast food and every day ate fast food had contain similar number of prapotion.

In 2003, mostly people went to ate fast food in once a week at 31%, whereas only 4% individuals were intrested into ate fast food every day. people who ate fast food in a few times a year and several times a week had showed fluctuated prapostion at 13% and 16%. In 2006, most of the people were intrested into ate fast food in once a week at 33%, while it decreased slightly in once or twice a month at 25% and it showed at 20% in ate fast food in several times a week.

In 2013, althoght as comepair to other years people showed less intrested ate fast food in once a week at 27% , once or twice a month were showed high prapotion at 33%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the trends for 'once a week' and 'once or twice a month'. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear, cohesive summary of the data. While the key trends are identified, the comparison between categories is occasionally confusing, such as the claim that 'never' and 'every day' had similar proportions, which is not clearly supported by the data provided. To achieve a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurately described and that the overview highlights the most significant trends rather than just listing individual figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'whereas' and 'while'. The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, making the logical flow feel disjointed. For instance, the transition between the 2003 and 2006 data is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with frequent errors in word choice and collocation. Phrases like 'individuals were ate fast food' and 'showed fluctuated prapostion' are grammatically incorrect and demonstrate a lack of control over academic vocabulary. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'intrest', 'prapotion', and 'comepair'. To improve, you should focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a decline', and ensure that you are using nouns and verbs in their correct forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are persistent issues with verb forms, such as 'were ate' instead of 'ate' or 'were eating', and incorrect sentence structures. The range of grammatical structures is limited, relying mostly on simple sentences with errors in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence accuracy and mastering verb tenses will be essential for improvement.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.