Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-17

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 chart compares the fast food being consume by the citizens of USA in cafes in 2003 and 2013 .

Overall, eating fast food once a week recorded the highest figure in 2003, while everyday had the lowest . IN 2013 once or twice a month was the largest category . Additionally, fast food being eaten once a week deacrease .

Looking first at once a week , The figure was 31 % in 2003 , compared with 25% in 2013. Similarly, once or twice a month stood at 30% and 35% respectively. By contrast several times a week recorded 20% in 2003 and 15% in 2013.

Turning to the remaing categories, fast food every day recorded 5% before falling to 3% in 2013. Meanwhile, a few times a year changed from 10 % to 15% . Overall the figure show the changing between once a week and tw

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, mentioning categories such as 'once a week', 'once or twice a month', and 'every day' across the years 2003 and 2013. However, there are notable inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the student states that fast food eaten once a week decreased, and writes that 'fast food every day recorded 5%' in 2003, whereas the chart shows 4%. Furthermore, the summary is cut off abruptly at the end ('Overall the figure show the changing between once a week and tw'), which leaves the overview incomplete. While some major trends are identified, the inaccuracies in data transcription and the incomplete conclusion prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introductory sentence, body paragraphs, and an overall summary. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor referencing and mechanical cohesive devices. Phrases like 'Looking first at once a week' and 'Turning to the remaing categories' attempt to structure the text, but erratic punctuation (such as spaces before commas and periods like '2003 .') and the incomplete final sentence disrupt the flow. Paragraphing is initiated but poorly executed, with abrupt transitions and disjointed sentences that make it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical charts. Basic verbs and nouns are used, such as 'compares', 'recorded', 'highest figure', and 'category'. There are several lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as 'the fast food being consume' (grammatical form error and awkward collocation) and spelling mistakes like 'deacrease' and 'remaing'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but persistent errors in word formation and spelling limit the score to a Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The bar chart compares the fast food being consume...' and 'The figure was 31 % in 2003 , compared with 25% in 2013.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the figure show'), incorrect verb forms ('being consume'), and awkward prepositions. Punctuation is also problematic throughout the text, with stray spaces preceding punctuation marks and an unfinished sentence structure at the very end. These persistent errors cause some strain for the reader.

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

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