Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-06

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 table chart illustrates the percentage how frequently individual in the USA ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, it is evident that USA public consumising fast food resturant once a week and once or twice a month increased whereas other categories decreased in the year.

To begin, In 2003,public eating fast food resturants 4% Every day it was increased rapidly 17% Several times a week fast food consumption rised rocket 31% once a week and leveled off around 30% it decreased sharply a few times a year also it declined.

In sharp contrast, In 2006 every day 3% it increased rapidly around 20%Several times a week also it climbed swiftly approximately 33%once a week and it decreased dramatically 25% once a twice a monthalso it dropped 15%a few times a year inaddition 4%never whereas in 2013 Everyday 4% it increased 16% also rose sharply 27% it was increased rapidly 33% and it decreased speedly 15% in addotion it dropped approximately 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to present an overview and mention some figures from the chart, the information is largely confused and inaccurate. The overview provided in the second sentence contains several inaccuracies regarding the trends ('USA public consumising fast food resturant once a week and once or twice a month increased whereas other categories decreased'). Furthermore, the body paragraphs fail to systematically report the main features or make clear, relevant comparisons across the years. Instead, the writing consists of a confusing string of figures and fragments that do not clearly convey the underlying data from the visual. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to present a clearer, more accurate overview and select and report the main trends logically and correctly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

Information and ideas are not arranged coherently in this response. The progression of ideas is difficult to follow, as sentences are often constructed as jumbles of data points without logical sequencing. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure of the paragraphs is extremely weak and lacks clear cohesive devices. Referencing and linking between ideas are frequently absent or inaccurate, making it hard for the reader to understand how the details relate to one another. To improve, the writer must structure the essay into clear, logical paragraphs with distinct roles (such as an introduction, an overview, and well-organized body paragraphs) and use basic cohesive devices accurately to guide the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, with noticeable errors that frequently cause difficulty for the reader. The student attempts some less common terms and data-reporting verbs, but these are often used incorrectly in terms of word form, collocation, or spelling, such as 'consumising', 'resturant', 'rised', 'rocket', and 'inaddotion'. There are also basic word choice issues throughout the text. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to touch upon the topic of fast food consumption, the frequency of lexical errors strains comprehension. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their range of functional vocabulary for describing data and ensure correct spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, and errors are frequent throughout the text. Most sentences are poorly formed fragments or run-on sentences containing multiple clauses strung together without correct punctuation or conjunctions, such as 'To begin, In 2003,public eating fast food resturants 4% Every day it was increased rapidly 17%...'. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tense usage, missing articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and obscure the meaning of the sentences. To progress, the student must focus on writing simple, grammatically complete sentences with correct subjects and verbs, and gradually introduce accurate complex structures.

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