Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-07

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)

This report will describe a bar chart showing how often people in America ate in fast food restaurants over the period of ten years.

Overall, it can be seen that people were more inclined towards hotelling once a week during all these years while very small proportion of American went to restuarants on daily basis.

In terms of going to resturants once a week, highest number of peo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the chart’s subject and gives a relevant overall observation: weekly visits were common, while daily visits were rare. However, it stops after beginning a sentence about the weekly category, so it does not report the main comparisons across 2003, 2006 and 2013 or provide supporting figures. The overview is also imprecise: once a week was the most common frequency in 2003 and 2006, but in 2013 once or twice a month was highest. The response is substantially under the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. To improve, complete the report with an accurate overview and select key figures and changes across the three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction is followed by an overview and then a detail paragraph beginning with “In terms of going to restaurants once a week”. This gives the reader a recognisable starting structure. However, the final paragraph is cut off mid-sentence (“highest number of peo”), and there is no developed progression through the chart’s categories or years. The linking phrases are limited, and the overview’s claim is not followed by evidence. Build complete paragraphs, group related comparisons logically, and use clear transitions such as “By contrast” or “In 2013” to guide the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “bar chart”, “how often” and “once a week”, and “more inclined towards” attempts to express a general preference. However, the range is limited, and several choices are inaccurate or unsuitable for this topic: “hotelling” does not mean eating at fast-food restaurants, while “restuarants” and “resturants” are misspelled. “People in America” is understandable, but “people in the USA” would match the chart more precisely. Use a wider set of accurate frequency and comparison terms, such as “accounted for”, “the largest proportion” and “declined”, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes a few complete sentence forms, including the opening sentence and the overview beginning “Overall, it can be seen that…”. It also attempts a more complex structure with “while”, showing some range. However, control is uneven: “very small proportion” needs an article (“a very small proportion”), and “American” should be plural or preceded by a suitable determiner in this context. The final sentence is incomplete, so its grammatical structure cannot be followed. Most of the writing relies on simple patterns, with little evidence of varied, controlled sentence construction. Practise accurate articles and plural forms, and ensure every sentence is complete before adding more complex comparisons.

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