Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-01

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 people in the USA ate in fast food resturants between 2003 and 2013. Overall, it is clear that once a week shows the highest frequency of people ate fast food in the USA while Every day had the lowest during over the period .

Looking at the first year 2003 that the figure was accounted for 32% of people in once a week and once and twice a month recorded 30% of people ate fast food. However , the figure of several times a week recorded17% but a few times a years stood at 13% of pepople and that the figure of never ate fast food people only 5%.

Turning into 2006 , that the figure recorded 33% of people ate fast food once a week but once or twice a month recorded 25% and 20% of people ate fast food several times a week. Furthermore , 2013 recorded the 33% of people ate fast food and 27% in once a week .Moreover , that the figure of a few times a year fell to 15%. finally never ratio of people was 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the main features, the selection of data contains significant inaccuracies and lacks a fully developed overview. For instance, the opening overview incorrectly claims that 'every day had the lowest during over the period', whereas the chart shows 'never' or 'a few times a year' recording different patterns across the years, and 'every day' actually stood at 3% or 4%. Furthermore, the reporting of specific figures is imprecise and partially confused, such as stating that 2013 recorded '33% of people ate fast food and 27% in once a week'. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to ensure accurate data extraction from the chart and provide a clearer, more precise summary of the main trends without misrepresenting the statistics.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The writing is divided into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs attempting to break down the years. However, the logical flow is hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive sentence openings, such as starting multiple sentences with 'that the figure recorded'. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, leading to a disjointed reading experience. To improve, the student should focus on grouping data logically—such as by comparing categories over time rather than listing isolated figures year by year—and use a wider variety of cohesive markers to connect ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but noticeable errors in spelling, word choice, and word form occur throughout the text. For example, 'resturants' is misspelled, 'pepople' contains a typographical error, and phrases like 'the figure of never ate fast food people' are unnatural. Other lexical inaccuracies include confusion with prepositional phrases. These errors occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire, pay closer attention to spelling and word forms, and use more precise vocabulary related to data trends, such as proportions and frequencies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on basic patterns with frequent awkward attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly concerning awkward relative clauses, missing articles, and clumsy sentence construction (e.g., 'Looking at the first year 2003 that the figure was accounted for...'). Punctuation errors, such as spaces before commas ('However ,'), are also present. These frequent errors can cause difficulty for the reader and obscure the intended meaning. To improve, the writer should focus on mastering basic sentence structures before attempting complex ones, ensuring proper subject-verb agreement, correct preposition use, and accurate tense consistency when reporting data.

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