Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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 given bar graph compares the intake of junk food among the USA people in 10 years. Overall, trend of consuming fast food has fluctuated in given years and significantly rose from eating every day to consuming once or fortnightly in a month and then shows drastic decrease in consumption of fast food before it reaches to consuming not at all.

In terms of 2003, less than 5% people eats junk food every day, while 5% customers never consumed junk food. However, in 2006 and 2013 people consuming junk food all days in a week and never consume are at same percentage, which is less nearly 3%. More than 15% consumers are interested in consuming fast-food several times in a week but in 2006 this is more favourable as compared to other two years.

Junk food intake was highly liked by people in 2006 with attaining highest percentage of consumer which is slightly less than 35%, and this is same as seen in 2013 for the people who choose to eat junk food once a month. Only 15%

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the main features, but it fails to provide a complete overview. The description of the data is fragmented and lacks clarity, particularly in the final paragraph, which ends abruptly mid-sentence. While some key features are identified, such as the peak in 2006, the comparison between the years is often confusing and inaccurate. For instance, the statement that 'people consuming junk food all days in a week and never consume are at same percentage' in 2006 and 2013 is difficult to verify against the provided chart. The response lacks a clear, cohesive summary of the trends, and the incomplete ending significantly impacts the overall task completion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The introduction is somewhat confusing, and the body paragraphs do not flow logically from one point to the next. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as the abrupt transition in the final paragraph. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of data points across the three years. The sudden termination of the text at the end of the third paragraph further disrupts the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'consuming', 'junk food', and 'people'. Some word choices are unnatural or imprecise, such as 'intake of junk food among the USA people' and 'attaining highest percentage of consumer'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. The range is sufficient to communicate the basic information, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'trend of consuming fast food has fluctuated in given years', 'less than 5% people eats', and 'this is more favourable as compared to other two years'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete final sentence is a significant issue.

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

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