Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-07

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 graph illustrates how often individuals in the USA ate in fast food restaurants in 2003 to 2013.

Overall, it is evident that some categories saw fluctuations, eating at fast food restaurants once or twice a month recorded the highest proportion, whereas everyday experienced the lowest figure.

In terms of everyday, the proportion of individuals stood at 4% in 2003, flowed by both probably 3% in 2006 and 2013. It then increased significantly in case of several times a week, approximately at 17% in 2003, followed by 20% in 2006 and 16% in 2013. This figure dramatically rose in case of once a week, from 17% to 31% in 2003, 20% to 33% in 2006 and 16% to 27% in 2013.

By contrast, categories like " Once or twice a month" showed the highest figure for approximately 33% in 2013, followed by 25% in 2006 and 30% in 2003. Terms of " A few times a year " fluctuated slightly between nearly 13% and 15%, while "never" stayed steady at close to 5%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. However, the data presentation is confusing and contains inaccuracies. For example, the description of 'once a week' as rising from '17% to 31%' in 2003 is unclear, as the chart shows a single value for each category per year, not a range. The reporting of data is inconsistent, and the interpretation of the trends is occasionally muddled. To improve, ensure that you clearly distinguish between the categories and accurately report the specific percentages provided in the graph without inventing ranges or confusing the data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow of information is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is present, such as 'Overall', 'In terms of', and 'By contrast', but they are sometimes used to connect ideas that are not logically sequenced. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the data points, which makes the progression of the report feel disjointed. Improving the logical grouping of data—perhaps by grouping categories by their trends (increasing vs. decreasing vs. stable)—would significantly enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there is a lack of precision. Phrases like 'flowed by' (likely meant 'followed by') and 'in case of' are used incorrectly or unnaturally. While you attempt to use some descriptive language like 'fluctuations' and 'dramatically rose', the misuse of prepositions and collocations limits the effectiveness of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise reporting verbs and nouns, and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate for describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'in 2003 to 2013' (should be 'between 2003 and 2013'), 'flowed by' instead of 'followed by', and 'for approximately 33%' which is syntactically awkward. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of quotation marks and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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