Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The chart shows that how many peoples in the USA are gone to food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Every day, The peoples were 4% in the 2003 but in the 2006 it become 3% and also remain same in 2013. Several times a week, the peoples are 17% in the 2003 but it increase to the 20% in the 2006 and then decrease to the 16% in the 2013.

Once a week, it increase to the 31% in the 2003 and also increase 33% in the 2006 but in 2013 it is decrease to the 28%.Once or twice a month, the peoples are 30% in the 2003 but in 2006 it decrease to the 25% then it increase to the 33% in the 2013.

A few times a year, the peoples are 13% in the 2003 and it is increase to the 15% in the 2006 then it is remain same in 2013. Never, In 2003 the peoples are 5% in the 2003 and it is decrease to the 4% in the 2006 then it is remain same in the 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart across the years 2003, 2006, and 2013, and provides some comparisons between categories. However, the reporting is mechanical and lacks an overall overview or clear synthesis of trends. For instance, the student lists data point by data point for each frequency category (e.g., 'Every day, The peoples were 4% in the 2003 but in the 2006 it become 3%...') without highlighting the most striking features or general trajectories, such as which frequency was the most popular overall. This means the response fails to fully develop a comprehensive overview, placing it firmly at band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text suffers from poor paragraphing and logical progression. The entire body of data is crammed into one single block of text after the introduction, lacking clear separation of ideas or categories. Although the student attempts to use time markers such as 'in the 2003' and 'then', referencing is often confusing or repetitive (e.g., repeating 'the peoples are' or 'it is increase'). There is no clear overall progression or paragraph-level structuring, resulting in a cohesive structure that is inadequate and mechanical. This corresponds to a band 4.5, which rounds to 5.0 in standard practice, though strictly evaluated features align well with band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on simple verbs and nouns, and makes lexical and grammatical collocation errors such as using 'peoples' instead of 'people' or 'percentage', and 'are gone to food restaurants' instead of 'ate in fast food restaurants'. Phrases like 'it become 3%' and 'it is decrease' demonstrate a lack of lexical control and morphological awareness. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey a very basic meaning, the persistent inaccuracies and limited range restrict the score to a band 4.5, awarded as 4.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The student attempts mostly simple and some compound structures, but almost every sentence contains noticeable errors. Examples include tense inconsistencies and awkward verb forms, such as 'The chart shows that how many peoples in the USA are gone...', 'it become 3% and also remain same', and 'it is increase to the 15% in the 2006 then it is remain same'. Punctuation is also erratic, with run-on sentences and fragments. Due to the high frequency of basic grammatical errors that repeatedly cause strain and minor misunderstandings, the grammar score is 4.5.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.