Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25
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 column graph illustrates the percentage of individuals, who ate fast food in restaurants in United States from 2003 to 2013.Overall, people interested to go restaurants once a week and once or twice a month over the following period. People did not interest to go everyday, as well as proportion of never going a restaurant had lower .
People of United States, showed higher proportion in going restaurants at once a week, where in 2003, proportion had just over 30% and in 2006 had higher at approximately 32.5%, and decreased at about 26.5% by 2013.On the other hand group of at once or twice in a month showed also higher proportion, started at 30% and decreased at 25%and finally increased again at about 32.5% by end of the period.
Group of people, who went a few times in a year showed lower proportion, started at approximately at 12.5% and reached at 15% for next two times period. On the other side, never and everyday groups showed less proportion than other groups, at under 5% for all the period. Only group of people, who went for several time showed few proportion, started at about 12% and reached at 15% by 2006 and decreased at approximately at 11% by 2013
Overall, groups of people who went restaurants frequently at once a week and once or twice a month showed higher proportion, on the other hand other groups showed lower percentage over the following three time perriods.
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 response attempts to cover the main features of the chart, mentioning categories such as 'once a week' and 'once or twice a month' as the most frequent, alongside lesser categories like 'every day' and 'never'. However, there are several inaccuracies in reporting the specific data points compared to the visual source. For instance, the student states that the 'several times a week' group started at about 12% when the actual figure was 17%, and misreads the 'once a week' data for 2003 as just over 30% while missing the precise tracking in later years. The overview attempts to capture general trends, but the overall task execution suffers from imprecise data reporting and under-developed comparisons, placing it firmly at band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, though the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and repetitive phrasing. Cohesive devices are used mechanically, such as 'On the other hand' and 'Overall', which are sometimes misused or placed inappropriately. For example, the student writes 'On the other hand group of at once or twice in a month showed also higher proportion', leading to confused relationships between ideas. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks smooth flow. While a basic structure is present to warrant a band 5.0, the mechanical and sometimes inaccurate use of cohesive ties prevents a higher score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms like 'proportion', 'group', 'higher', and 'lower' to describe the data. There are noticeable lexical errors and inappropriate collocations throughout the text, such as 'people interested to go restaurants', 'people did not interest to go everyday', and 'few proportion' instead of 'small proportion'. Spelling and word formation issues also occur, such as 'perriods'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for the task, causing some awkwardness for the reader, which aligns with band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but these are often marred by frequent grammatical errors. Common mistakes include missing articles ('in United States', 'at once a week'), incorrect prepositions ('in going restaurants', 'at once or twice in a month'), and problems with verb forms and tense consistency ('people interested to go', 'proportion had just over 30% and in 2006 had higher'). Faulty structures frequently impede smooth reading, although the meaning can generally be discerned. Because errors are frequent and affect basic sentence architecture, a band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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