Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 graph illustrates that 4% people in USA ate in fast food resturants in 2003. In 2003 there were 17% people who ate in fast food centres daily and 31% people ate fast food once a week. the people who ate once or twice a month were 30% and who ate a few times a year were 13%. The people who never ate were 5%.

Now in 2006 there were 3% people who ate in fast food resturants every day. The people who ate several times a week were 20% and who ate once a week were 33 %. Those who ate once or twice a month were 25% and who ate a few times were 15%. The people who never ate were 4%.

In 2013 3% people ate fast food daily and who ate several times a week were 16%. There were 28% people who ate once a week and 33% ate once or twice a month. There were 15% people who ate few times a year and 4% people never ate this.

The ratio people who ate once a week and once or twice a month were relatively greater than others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the task by reporting data across the three specified years (2003, 2006, and 2013). However, the report largely reads as a mechanical listing of percentages for each year rather than an integrated summary featuring well-selected main features and meaningful comparisons. While some data points are mentioned, the lack of an overview and the presence of slight data inaccuracies (such as stating 4% ate in fast food restaurants in 2003 when the chart likely shows 'every day' or similar categories, or misinterpreting categories) pull the response down. Key trends over the decade are not clearly synthesised, leading to an under-developed overview. Therefore, this performance aligns best with Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised chronologically by paragraph, with the first paragraph introducing 2003, the second covering 2006, the third covering 2013, and a final concluding sentence attempting a comparison. However, the progression is mechanical and lacks cohesive devices between sentences and paragraphs, relying almost entirely on repetitive subject structures like 'The people who...'. Paragraphing is attempted by year, but transitions are weak. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall logical flow is hampered by the isolated reporting of figures. This meets the criteria for Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently reusing simple phrases such as 'people who ate' and specific percentages. There are spelling errors such as 'resturants' instead of 'restaurants'. Less common lexical items are largely absent, and paraphrasing of the prompt is minimal. While the language is minimally adequate to convey the basic numbers, the limited range and repetitive nature of the terms restrict the score to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple sentence structures and attempted complex clauses (e.g., 'There were 28% people who ate once a week and 33% ate once or twice a month'). However, grammar and phrasing are often awkward, such as 'The ratio people who ate...', missing articles ('4% people in USA'), and awkward relative clauses. Errors are frequent and can cause occasional difficulty for the reader, though they do not completely obscure the meaning. This performance is characteristic of Band 5.0.

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

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