Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The bar graph compares how regularly individuals in the USA consumed junk food in food outlets in 2003 and 2006 as well as 2013.

Overall, the largest number of people who liked eat fast food in once a week at hotels in three years. The loweast amount of citizens inter

In 2003, the highest number of citizens preferred eat fast food once a week at hotels, which was more than one-third, while a minimal surge was seen in 2006 to around 34%. There was a noticeble decrease in 2013, with more than quarter. Meanwhile, people who liked to consume junk food at restaurants once or twice a month ranked second highest, 30% in 2003, 25% in 2006 and almost 34% in 2013, respectively.

By contrast, more than 15% and two-fifth number residents who ate fast food several time a week in cafe in 2003 and 2006, respectively. A considerable decline was noticed in 2013 to below 20%. A few time a year constituted above 10% in 2003. However, the same number of residents visited cafe in a few times a year in 2006 and 2013, that was 15%, each. The least amount of people who interested to go hotels in every day and never.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response attempts to cover the main features of the chart, providing a general overview and citing data points for various frequencies such as 'once a week' and 'once or twice a month'. However, the response is significantly incomplete and disrupted by unfinished sentences and severe comprehension issues, particularly in the second paragraph where sentences like 'The loweast amount of citizens inter' trail off completely. Furthermore, the final sentence 'The least amount of people who interested to go hotels in every day and never' is grammatically broken and lacks a main verb. While the student identifies some categories, the lack of complete data reporting and the truncated thoughts restrict the task achievement level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which shows an awareness of structural layout. However, the logical progression is severely hindered by disjointed sentences and incomplete thoughts. Cohesive devices are either misused or absent, resulting in a fragmented reading experience. For instance, transitional phrases like 'Meanwhile' and 'By contrast' are attempted, but the internal cohesion within sentences often breaks down, such as in 'the same number of residents visited cafe in a few times a year in 2006 and 2013, that was 15%, each.' Referencing is frequently unclear, and the overall arrangement fails to maintain a smooth logical flow from one idea to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive, featuring frequent inappropriate word choices and collocations. For example, the student repeatedly uses the word 'hotels' to refer to fast food restaurants or food outlets, which is a significant lexical error. Other awkward expressions include 'minimal surge' and 'a few time a year'. While the student attempts some numerical and comparative vocabulary ('noticeble decrease', 'considerable decline'), spelling mistakes ('loweast', 'noticeble') and severe lexical inaccuracies restrict the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is very limited, consisting mostly of simple and attempted complex structures that contain frequent, severe errors. There are numerous ungrammatical constructions, missing verbs, and broken clauses throughout the text, such as 'individuals in the USA consumed junk food in food outlets in 2003 and 2006 as well as 2013' and 'two-fifth number residents who ate fast food several time a week in cafe'. Punctuation is also problematic, and incomplete sentences severely impede communication in places, meaning that error-free sentences are rare.

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