Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28

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 graph demonstrates how often individuals in the USA ate junk food in restaurants from 2003 to 2013.

There were a fewer people who ate fast food daily or never in their lifetimes in the restaurants. The percentage of individuals peaked in the middle and end of the era where they ate once a week or once a month. The citizens who ate several times a week and who ate a few times a year were at the middle of all other categories.

There were less than 5% of people who ate every day and who never ate in their whole lives ina decade.The higher percentage was seen in 2006 among people who ate once a week while in 2013, higher percentage of individuals who ate once a month. On the other hand, people who ate several times a week and who ate a few times a year were in 13 to 20% in a decade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, noting the general trends across the years for eating frequency. However, the response lacks a clear and coherent overview, which is essential for a Band 6 or higher. Furthermore, some of the data descriptions are vague or inaccurate, such as stating that people who ate several times a week and a few times a year were 'at the middle of all other categories' rather than accurately reporting specific percentages or rankings. The mention of 'ina decade' and the phrasing regarding peak categories lack precision. While the student addresses the prompt by discussing the years 2003, 2006, and 2013, the lack of a strong overview and the presence of imprecise data selection pull the score down to Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into three short paragraphs, but the logical progression within and between paragraphs is weak. Sentences such as 'There were a fewer people who ate fast food daily or never in their lifetimes in the restaurants' feel disjointed from the surrounding text. Cohesive devices are used minimally and sometimes inappropriately, such as 'On the other hand,' which does not effectively contrast the points being made. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, leaving the reader to guess which categories or years are being contrasted. Overall, the arrangement shows some attempt at organization, but it lacks clear overall progression and cohesive control, aligning best with Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for addressing the topic, using terms such as 'percentage,' 'individuals,' 'decade,' and 'categories.' However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'ate junk food in restaurants' (the chart is about fast food restaurants, and 'junk food' is slightly informal compared to the prompt) and 'never ate in their whole lives ina decade' (which is contradictory and awkward). Attempts at less common vocabulary are limited, and spelling or word-choice inaccuracies occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader. This performance satisfies the criteria for Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'There were a fewer people' (incorrect use of the article with a comparative/plural noun), 'peaked in the middle and end of the era where they ate' (unclear relative clause usage), and missing spaces between sentences (e.g., 'decade.The higher percentage'). Complex structures are often faulty and require re-reading to understand. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, the grammar score is Band 5.0.

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

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