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 bar graph illustrates the percentage of people who frequently ate in fast food restaurants in the USA over a decade between 2003 and 2013.
Overall, what stands out from this graph is that the people ate at outside the house once a week has highest percentage in 2006, while the in the same year people had not ate outside everyday.
looking at the details, as regards in 2003, the people has a highest percentage around closely 30% in the category of the once or twice a month, while the least figure accounted with around 4% of the people ate in fast food restaurants in the everyday catagory. Moreover, in 2006, around 33% people notice who ate at fried item restaurants, but this figure was reduced in the person of category which was everyday around 3%.
By contrast, if we look at the year 2013 the perecntage of the people recorded around 34% of people who was going to outside for eating more than 1 day in a week. But this figure compartively low with others categories
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by summarizing the main features of the bar graph showing fast food consumption frequencies between 2003 and 2013. The overview sentence in the second paragraph highlights a general trend, although it is expressed rather awkwardly. While some key data points are mentioned, such as the highest percentages around 2003 and 2013, the reporting of data is frequently unclear and inaccurate (e.g., confusing percentages with categories or describing fried item restaurants rather than frequency categories). Consequently, the response covers parts of the task, but the information lacks precision and development, aligning best with a Band 5 descriptor for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into four paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body details. However, the logical progression is severely disrupted by unnatural phrasing and confusing transitions. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, as seen with 'as regards in 2003' and 'if we look at the year 2013 the perecntage of the people recorded around 34%'. Referencing is frequently unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of information. Paragraphing is present, but overall cohesion is faulty and mechanical. This performance sits firmly at Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a very limited and repetitive range of vocabulary, relying heavily on basic terms like 'people', 'percentage', and 'figure'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'people ate at outside the house', 'everyday catagory', and 'fried item restaurants' (which misrepresents the chart's categories). Spelling errors, such as 'perecntage', also appear. These limitations and errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a vocabulary profile typical of Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is weak. Frequent grammatical errors impede readability, such as tense confusion ('people had not ate outside everyday'), incorrect preposition use ('ate at outside the house'), and poor clause structure ('the people has a highest percentage around closely 30%'). Punctuation is also neglected in places. While the attempt at complex structures is visible, the high frequency of basic grammatical and structural errors places this response at Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 according to standard scoring guidelines.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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