Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-22
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)
In the USA, the data of the number and types of people who went to fast food restaurants, varied across the years between 2003 to 2013. For instance, in 2006, the overall trend of going to fast food restaurants was majorly high. Except those who went to the restaurants every day or never, the rest of the number of the people who went either once a week or twice a month, increased significantly. Compared to how the trend was in 2006, in 2013, people visit to fast food restaurants considerably in lower numbers. However, those who had the habit of eating fast food on monthly or bi-monthly basis, their numbers increased considerably in 2013 in the fast food restaurants. Apart from that, around 5% of the people who visited either everyday or never, their numbers did not change through the years and remained same as before showing less variation in their choices.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the data but fails to provide a clear overview or identify the most significant trends. The description of the data is often vague; for example, stating that the trend was 'majorly high' in 2006 is imprecise and does not reflect the specific categories shown in the chart. Furthermore, the report lacks a clear comparison between the categories, and the interpretation of the 2013 data is somewhat confusing. To improve, you should focus on grouping the categories logically (e.g., those that increased versus those that decreased) and ensure that specific data points are cited to support your observations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is written as a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow. A clear structure—including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs—is essential for Task 1. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Apart from that', the logical progression of ideas is weak. The sentences often feel disconnected, and the lack of paragraphing hinders the overall flow of information. You should aim to use clear paragraph breaks to separate your overview from your detailed analysis of the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the precision required for a data-analysis task. Phrases like 'number of the people' and 'the trend was' are used repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'visit to fast food restaurants considerably in lower numbers'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied and precise vocabulary related to trends and statistics, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'a significant decline', or 'a marginal increase'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the data of the number and types of people... varied' (incorrect preposition usage) and 'people visit to fast food restaurants considerably in lower numbers' (incorrect word order and verb tense). There is a limited range of complex structures, and the sentence construction is often clunky. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions will help improve your accuracy. You should also practice using a wider variety of sentence structures to convey comparisons more effectively.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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