Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

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 illustrates how frequently going fast food trend in USA citizen from 2003 to 2013. Units are measured in percentage.

Overall, the group eating fast food once a week and twice a month is similarly in pick all in report. Similarly, everyday group is the lowest over the report.

Initally, once a week group eat fast food in resturent was around 32 percentin 2003 then over time it increase to around 34 percetin 2006 but suddently it drop with below 30 percent in 2013. Additionally, in 2003 fast food eating people was 30 percent and it slightly decrease in 2006 which was 25 percent then it rose around 34 percent in 2013 which was data of once or twice a month.Several times a week aslo high then other back three where in 2003 it was 15 percent while trend increase to 20 percent in 2006 but in 2013 number come down which was 16 percent.

Finally, a few times a year data looks different where in 2003 it was around 13 percent then in 2006 and 2013 it was constant with 15 percent. Similarly, never is higher then every day which was 5 percent, and 3 percent in 2003 and 2006 to 2013. At last, everyday was the lowest which was below 5 percent in 2003 and contant in 2006 to 2013 which was around 4 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the chart, noting trends for categories such as eating fast food once a week, once or twice a month, and a few times a year. However, the response suffers from significant weaknesses in data reporting and overview creation. The introduction is awkwardly phrased ('how frequently going fast food trend in USA citizen'), and the overview ('the group eating fast food once a week and twice a month is similarly in pick all in report') is unclear and fails to properly synthesise the main trends. Furthermore, several figures are inaccurately reported or confused, and the selection of data is sometimes disjointed. These limitations restrict the score to Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into paragraphs, with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. However, the progression of ideas is frequently impeded by confusing referencing and mechanical transitions (e.g., 'Initally', 'Additionally', 'Finally', 'At last'). The logical relationship between sentences is often unclear, making it difficult to follow the comparisons being made. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, and paragraphing is poorly handled, with related information scattered across different sections. This level of organisation corresponds to a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with numerous word-form and collocation errors throughout the text (e.g., 'going fast food trend', 'USA citizen', 'pick all in report', 'eat fast food in resturent'). The candidate attempts some less common terms, but these attempts are marred by inaccurate spelling and misuse (e.g., 'increase', 'percetin', 'suddently', 'contant'). These lexical inaccuracies occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and restrict the range of vocabulary to a minimally adequate level, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many of the complex attempts are faulty and ungrammatical (e.g., 'where in 2003 it was around 13 percent then in 2006 and 2013 it was constant with 15 percent'). There are frequent errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'number come down', 'data looks different where'). While some basic sentences are clear, the high frequency of grammatical errors causes noticeable difficulty for the reader, aligning with Band 5.0 criteria.

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

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