Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-14

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 line chart illustrates the frequency of eating fast food restaurants among peoples, showing changes in percentage between 2003 to 2013. overall, it highlights the main upward/downward trend and key differences among the given data.

overall, it is clear that once a week is in increasing order in 2003, similarly in 2006 also and once a twice a month is also in increasing order in 2006 and 2013 can be seen. In addition once a week or once a week is in increasing order at least 33% .

Looking more closely at the figures 33% of peoples using fast food in between 2003 and 2013 over the period. similarly 31% of peoples is also in gradual rapid rise order in 2003. By contrast Every day and Never day of peoples are in decline sharply about 4%.

In terms of several times a week peoples using fast food restaurants at least 20 and 30 percentages by looking others

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the main features of the chart, mentioning various frequencies such as once a week, twice a month, every day, and never. However, the data points reported are often inaccurate or unclear, such as the claim that '33% of peoples using fast food in between 2003 and 2013' or 'Every day and Never day of peoples are in decline sharply about 4%'. The student struggles to accurately select, report, and compare the key trends from the visual data. The overview attempted in the second sentence is vague and repetitive. Consequently, the response satisfies the requirements for a Band 5, as it addresses the task only partially with limited and under-developed ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response is structured into four short paragraphs, but the overall organisation lacks a clear logical progression. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as the repeated use of 'overall' and 'similarly'. Referencing is frequently unclear, as seen in phrases like 'once a week or once a week' and 'Every day and Never day of peoples'. Furthermore, paragraphing is poorly executed, with the second paragraph starting with 'overall' immediately after the introductory paragraph already used a similar introductory framing. There is no clear progression of ideas from one sentence to the next. This performance aligns best with the Band 4 descriptor, where information and ideas are not arranged coherently throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, featuring frequent inappropriate word choices and non-standard collocations. Examples include 'peoples' instead of 'people', 'once a twice a month', and 'Never day'. There is also a reliance on imprecise terms like 'increasing order', 'rapid rise order', and 'decline sharply about 4%'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to signal the topic of fast-food consumption, noticeable errors in word formation and choice cause significant difficulty for the reader and strain comprehension. This corresponds to a Band 4 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The student attempts a few complex structures, but these are almost entirely faulty and laden with grammatical errors, such as 'The line chart illustrates the frequency of eating fast food restaurants among peoples, showing changes in percentage between 2003 to 2013.' There is a lack of finite verbs in several clauses, resulting in fragment sentences like 'similarly in 2006 also and once a twice a month is also in increasing order in 2006 and 2013 can be seen.' Punctuation and capitalization are also erratic (e.g., lowercase 'overall'). Errors are extremely frequent and frequently distort the meaning, placing this performance firmly at Band 4.

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

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