Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-03

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 given barchart shows the the frequancy of people consume processed food in restaurants from 2003 to 2013 in the United State of America.

Overall, the highest percentage was recorded in 2006 and 2013.

On daily bases, people in 2003 were higher with percentage of 4% , whereas in both other years percentage remained euqal showing 35. Sometime in a week, 2006 was at lead presentig the figure upto 20% while there was a little difference in 2003 and 2013 showing 17% and 16% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response only partially addresses the task requirements and is significantly below the minimum word count of 150 words, stopping at just 85 words. While there is an attempt to introduce the chart and mention a few data points, the content is severely limited and under-developed. Important trends across the decade are missed, and there is no clear overall summary beyond a vague statement about 2006 and 2013. Furthermore, there are factual misinterpretations of the data, such as claiming that percentages remained equal at '35' in 2003 and other years, which does not reflect the provided chart. To improve, you must write a fully developed response that covers all major features and comparisons across the given time period while meeting the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text shows some basic attempts at organisation, featuring an introductory sentence and an overall summary statement. However, there is no clear overall progression across the response, and the paragraphing is underdeveloped due to the very short length. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive or awkwardly placed, such as the abrupt transition into 'On daily bases'. Referencing between sentences lacks smoothness, making the progression of ideas feel somewhat disjointed. To achieve a higher band, you need to use a wider range of cohesive devices naturally and structure your response into clear, logically ordered paragraphs that guide the reader smoothly through the main features and comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for conveying very basic information, but it contains noticeable errors in word choice and spelling that hinder communication. Examples include 'barchart', 'frequancy', 'euqal', 'lead' instead of 'lead', and 'presentig'. Additionally, the phrase 'processed food in restaurants' inaccurately paraphrases fast food consumption from the prompt. To improve Lexical Resource, you need to expand your vocabulary range, learn precise collocations related to data reporting (such as 'consumption' or 'proportion'), and carefully check your spelling and word forms before submitting your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple or faulty clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors that can cause difficulty for the reader, including missing articles ('in United State of America'), incorrect prepositions ('On daily bases'), and agreement issues ('people in 2003 were higher with percentage'). Attempts at complex comparisons are awkward and grammatically incomplete, such as 'whereas in both other years percentage remained euqal showing 35'. To improve, you need to work on basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and accurate use of articles and prepositions while striving to incorporate error-free complex sentences.

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

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