Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-31

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 able us to know about the quantity of people. Who have junk food in hotels from 2003 to 2013.

By having a view of bar graph, it have been clear that. There is not a huge difference between 2003 and 2013. There is just a minor difference in the quantity of individuals.

only 3 to 4% people ate junk food regularly and 15 to 20% population have processed food many times in a week. Moreover, 37 to 33% people eat fast food just one time in a week. Therefore, 25% to 35% population have these junk once or twice a week and 12 to 15% humans eat junk a few time a year and at last 4 to 5% peoples never ate fast food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have attempted to report the data, the summary is underdeveloped and lacks a clear overview of the main trends. The description of the data is somewhat mechanical, listing percentages without effectively synthesizing the information or highlighting the most significant changes over the decade. To improve, ensure you provide a clear introductory overview and group the data logically to show comparisons, rather than simply listing figures. The failure to reach the word count means the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a clear logical progression. The paragraphing is fragmented, with some sentences standing alone, which disrupts the flow of information. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Therefore', their usage is often forced or logically disconnected from the preceding points. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall structure feels like a list of observations rather than a cohesive report. To improve, focus on using transition words that naturally link ideas and ensure each paragraph has a clear, unified focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple terms like 'quantity' and 'people'. There are also some inappropriate word choices, such as using 'hotels' to describe fast-food restaurants and 'humans' to refer to survey respondents. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'proportion', 'frequency', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable', and avoid informal or inaccurate descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The bar chart able us to know', 'it have been clear', and 'peoples never ate'. The sentence structures are predominantly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Punctuation is also problematic, with several sentence fragments (e.g., 'Who have junk food in hotels from 2003 to 2013'). To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct verb tenses, and combining simple sentences into complex ones using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions.

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

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