Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-25

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 4.5)

The bar chart compares the changes of fast food dine in the American hotels in the years between 2003 to 2013. The proportion is given in percentage'

overall, majority of american ate fast food once a week or once or twice a month with most common frequencies. in constrast, eating every single day and never remains least common chocies in all the given years.

to begin, with in the year 2003 and 2006 almost

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the required word count, which severely limits the ability to address the task requirements. While you have attempted to identify some main features, such as the most and least common frequencies, the analysis is incomplete and stops abruptly. To achieve a higher band, you must provide a full summary that covers all categories and years, including specific data points and meaningful comparisons. Because the response is unfinished and fails to meet the minimum length, it cannot be awarded a score higher than 4.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response shows a basic attempt at paragraphing, but the text is too short to demonstrate effective logical progression or a range of cohesive devices. The transition 'to begin, with in the year' is interrupted, and the overall structure is fragmented. To improve, ensure that your ideas are linked with a variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'in contrast', 'consequently') and that your response is fully developed into a coherent essay structure with a clear introduction, overview, and supporting body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary is quite limited and contains errors that affect clarity, such as 'fast food dine' instead of 'fast food consumption' and 'American hotels' instead of 'American households'. There is also a lack of variety in reporting verbs and data-related terminology. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary related to trends and statistics, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'a significant proportion'. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you describe the data more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response contains several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the majority of American'), incorrect prepositions ('in the year 2003'), and punctuation issues (e.g., 'percentage''). The sentence structures are simple and lack the complexity required for higher bands. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles. Aim to incorporate a mix of simple and complex sentences, ensuring that your punctuation is accurate throughout the text.

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

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