Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-02

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 illustrate the habits of eating junk food by the people of USA in the given period in 2003 and 2013.

Overall it can be seen that the percentage of every day people eating fast food relatively low comparing to the consumption of oily food once a week by individual. Meanwhile, people who eat fast food never contains less percentage compared to a few times a year consuming junk food.

In 2003, consuming fast food by people in everyday life and never consumption of food relatively around 4.5% and 5% with 0.5% change. Therefore, people who consume more once or twice in a month similar to once a week consumption as a ltlle change nealy as 30% in 2003.

However, junk food consumption by USA people in a few times a year in 2006 or 2013 remains stable.

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 attempt to identify some trends, the analysis is incomplete and lacks a clear overview of the data. You mention 2006, which is not present in the prompt, and the description of the data is often confusing or inaccurate (e.g., 'never consumption of food'). The main features are not clearly highlighted, and the comparisons are poorly developed. To improve, ensure you cover all years provided in the chart and provide a more precise summary of the key trends rather than listing isolated figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'Therefore' in the third paragraph, which does not logically follow the previous sentence. The referencing is often unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the different categories. To improve, focus on using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'in contrast', 'furthermore', 'consequently') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that connects logically to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'consumption' and 'fast food'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'never consumption of food' and 'little change nearly as 30%'. These errors occasionally make the meaning difficult to grasp. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', 'a significant proportion', or 'a marginal increase'. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and adverbs will also help improve the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The bar chart illustrate'), missing articles ('people of USA'), and awkward sentence structures ('people who eat fast food never contains less percentage'). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the existing sentences are often fragmented or poorly constructed. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree, and practice using complex sentences with subordinate clauses. Proofreading for basic punctuation and article usage would also significantly improve the clarity of your writing.

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

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