Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-27
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 4.5)
The bar chart illustrates how often individuals in the United State of America ate quick meal in restaurants from 2003 or 2013.
Overall, chart demonstrates the frequency of eating at fast food in early 21 century and ater ten years.Mostly people ate quick meal once a week but the other side some people ate fast food on every day.
Firstly, 2003, 2006 and 2013 people ate fast food on every days the percentage no more than 8% and then severals times in week the ratio were increase rapidly (17%,20%,16%). Thirdly, once a week the propotion of pople eating fast food increase (31%,33%,25%).
Secondly, 2003,2006 and 2013 people ate fast food on once or twice a month the percentage no more than (30%,25%,35%) and then a few times a year the ratio were increase rapidly (18%,15%,15%). Lastly, never people the propotion of pople eating fast food decrease (5%,4%,4%).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response attempts to address the task by reporting information from the bar chart regarding the frequency of eating fast food in the USA between 2003 and 2013. However, there are notable inaccuracies in reporting the data (for example, misstating the percentage for every day as no more than 8% when it was actually around 3-4%, and confusing categories in the body paragraphs). Furthermore, the overview is extremely basic and lacks a clear summary of the overall trends. Crucially, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the 150-word minimum at 147 words, which negatively impacts task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The text is divided into paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is weak and the overall arrangement is frequently disjointed. Transitional markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Lastly' are used awkwardly and mechanically, often preceding lists of numbers rather than cohesive points. Additionally, referencing is unclear in places (e.g., 'on the other side some people' and 'never people'), making the relationships between ideas difficult to follow at times.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The lexical range is limited and repetitive, with frequent unnatural collocations and word choices such as 'quick meal in restaurants', 'on every days', and 'never people'. Spelling errors and incorrect word forms appear throughout the text, including 'propotion', 'pople', and 'severals'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the general topic of fast food consumption, the numerous lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing restrict the score to this band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
The response contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences or awkwardly joined clauses. There are frequent and systematic errors in grammar, punctuation, and preposition use, such as 'from 2003 or 2013', 'ate fast food on every days', and 'the ratio were increase rapidly'. Subject-verb agreement errors ('ratio were increase') and tense inconsistencies are also common. These errors cause frequent strain for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.