Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-20

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 given bar chart illustrates frequency of eating fast food restaurants among individual in the USA from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, it is evident that highest people eat fast food once a week on the other hand the lowest ratio of reating is everyday.Another noticeable feature is that propotion of eating once or twice a month is near to Highest ratio.

Looking at first Several times a week have lowest ration compared to eating a few times a year.In 2003 fast food resturant among people is 20% but in 2013 is was about 16%.

If we look clearly once a week eating fast food in 2006 rose rapidly about approximently 33%.On the contract in 2003 and 2013 approximently 4% difference.

Turning to lowest propotion of A few times a year in 2003 in go up about 13% compared to 2013 hit 15%.In 2003 Eating every day jumped about 4% however 2006 and 2013 remain same.Furthermore Never and every day in 2013 approximently ramaikn stable.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the main features of the chart, correctly identifying categories such as 'once a week' and 'every day'. However, there are significant flaws in data interpretation and reporting. For instance, the student states that 'several times a week have lowest ration', which is factually incorrect as 'every day' is the lowest in most years. Furthermore, many figures are misquoted or described vaguely (e.g., 'about approximently 33%'). While an overview is attempted, it is partially confused ('highest people eat fast food once a week on the other hand the lowest ratio of reating is everyday'). Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which helps establish a basic structure. However, logical progression and paragraph focus are weak. Sentences often feel disjointed, and transitional phrases are either misused or absent ('Looking at first', 'On the contract'). Referencing is frequently unclear, making it hard to follow which data points or years are being discussed. Cohesive devices are inadequate and sometimes mechanical, resulting in an overall lack of smooth flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion fails to connect ideas effectively. This aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and spelling throughout the text (e.g., 'propotion' instead of proportion, 'reating' instead of eating, 'resturant', 'approximently', 'ramaikn'). The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, but inaccuracies impede communication and cause strain for the reader. Phrases such as 'highest people' and 'lowest ratio of reating' demonstrate a limited control of collocation and lexical appropriateness. A Band 5.0 is appropriate here.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited, consisting primarily of simple and faulty complex sentence structures. There are frequent errors in basic grammar, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'in 2003 in go up', 'in 2013 is was about', 'every day in 2013 approximently ramaikn stable'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after periods and commas. Because these errors occur frequently and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader in understanding the intended meaning, the performance falls under Band 5.0.

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

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