Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-13

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 illustrates the ratio of citizens eating fast food in U.S.A. from 2003 -2013 :

The first category is everyday, in 2003, 4% of people prefer to eat fast food everyday whereas 5% of people never went to fast food restaurants .on one hand, in 2006 2% of people consumed fast food, whereas 4% of people never consumed fast food on the other hand, in 2013, 2% of citizens prefer to consume fast food everyday whereas 4% of citizens preferred to never eat fast food in their life.

The another two categories are several times a week and a few times a year, in 2003, 18% of population consumed fast food several times a week whereas 13% of citizens consumed fast food a few times a year on one hand,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, finishing abruptly at 132 words and leaving the description incomplete. Furthermore, the student only manages to partially cover the data, mentioning a few isolated figures such as '4% of people prefer to eat fast food everyday' in 2003, but failing to provide a comprehensive overview or make adequate comparisons across the full time period. The summary breaks off mid-sentence ('whereas 13% of citizens consumed fast food a few times a year on one hand,'), resulting in under-developed ideas. When evaluated against the band descriptors, these limitations place the task achievement at band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The organization of the response is heavily flawed. The paragraphing breaks down entirely, with the text ending prematurely in the middle of a sentence and failing to conclude. While the student attempts to use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'on one hand', and 'on the other hand', they are misused, repetitive, and mechanically forced, creating confusion rather than logical progression. For instance, 'on one hand' is used repeatedly without a balancing 'on the other hand' in the second paragraph. Because the overall structure collapses and cohesive links are faulty, the response aligns best with band 4.5, which falls between inadequate management of cohesion at band 4 and the more coherent arrangement seen at band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used throughout the response is basic and repetitive, heavily relying on phrases lifted directly from the prompt or standard template expressions, such as 'ratio of citizens eating fast food' and 'consumed fast food'. There is a lack of less common lexical items, and word choices are occasionally unnatural, such as using 'everyday' (adjective) instead of 'every day' (adverbial phrase) in 'eat fast food everyday'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the limited range and lack of precision restrict the lexical resource score to a band 5.0, as the vocabulary is barely adequate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple or repetitive compound-complex sentences linked by coordinating conjunctions and time markers. There are noticeable punctuation and capitalization errors, such as missing spaces before commas and periods ('restaurants .on one hand') and the uncapitalized country name 'U.S.A.' alongside missing articles. Because the text breaks off abruptly, complex structures are sparse and frequently incomplete. Due to these frequent errors and restricted structural range, the grammar is reflective of a band 5.0 descriptor.

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

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