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 chart illustrates the average number of people in the USA who eat fast food in restaurants in 2003 and 2013. Overall, the percentage of people who eat fast food once a week is much higher than those who eat it every day. The percentage of people who eat fast food every day is very low.

In 2006, 32% of people ate fast food once a week, and in 2003 it is almost 30% of people ate fast food once a week. In 2013, the percentage of people was about 34% once or twice a month people ate fast food.

Every day, the percentage of people who ate fast food is zero percent; it is almost the same every year, but in 2006, people ate fast food several times a week 20%. And in 2003, it was 17%; in 2013, it was 16%. The percentage who never ate fast food is zero.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the prompt by reporting information from the chart regarding fast-food consumption frequencies in the USA between 2003 and 2013. However, the data points selected are sometimes inaccurate or disjointed, such as stating that the percentage of people who ate fast food every day is 'zero percent' when the chart likely shows low but non-zero figures, or mixing up categories like 'once or twice a month'. The overview is simplistic and misses key overall trends. Important comparisons between years are not fully developed, and the reporting of data feels somewhat random. This places the response in Band 5, as it addresses the task only partially with limited and under-developed ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organized into brief paragraphs, starting with an introductory overview and moving into body details. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed and confusing. For instance, jumping abruptly between years like 2006, 2003, and 2013 without a clear logical structure makes the response difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are minimal or mechanically applied, such as the repetitive use of 'In [year]' and 'The percentage of people who...'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs is weak. This corresponds to a Band 5 score for containing some organisation but lacking a clear overall progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and heavily relies on lifting phrases directly from the prompt, such as 'percentage of people who eat fast food'. There is a lack of less common lexical items or synonyms to describe data trends, such as 'increase', 'fluctuate', or 'proportion'. Word choices are sometimes unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'once or twice a month people ate fast food'. Spelling is generally acceptable for common words, but the limited range of vocabulary restricts communication. This performance aligns with Band 5, showing a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary with noticeable limitations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many sentences contain awkward phrasing or grammatical errors, such as 'in 2003 it is almost 30% of people ate fast food once a week' (tense inconsistency and structural awkwardness). Punctuation is basic, and there are frequent errors in clause structure that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. While some simple sentences are accurate, the control over complex structures is weak. This warrants a Band 5 score, reflecting a limited range of structures and frequent errors.

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

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