Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-15

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 chart ilustrate frequency of poeple eating fast food in USA from 2003 to 2013.

Chart shows pecentage of people and habit of eating like every day, several times a week, once a week, once or twice a month, few times a year and who never eat fast food.

Firstly, we see in chart the people who eat fast food every day from 2003 to 2013 is almost below 5%. secondly the people who eat fast food several times a week are 15 to 20 percent from 2003 to 2013. Now we highlight that people who ate once a week are 27 to 33 percent during 2003 to 2013. further more the people who eat once or twice in a month are 25 to 33 percent from 2003 to 2013. The people who eat fast food only few times in a year are 10 to 15 percent from 2003 to 2013. Last the people who never eat fast food are almost 5 percent from 2003 to 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all six eating-frequency categories and give broad ranges that are mostly consistent with the chart, such as daily eating staying below 5% and monthly eating ranging from about 25% to 33%. However, the response mainly lists category figures and does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns or compare the years. Important changes are therefore missed: once-a-week eating peaks in 2006 before falling, while once- or twice-monthly eating rises to become the most common frequency in 2013. Some ranges are also imprecise, such as describing once-a-week eating as 27% to 33% rather than noting its decline from about 31% to 28% after 2006. Select the key trends and summarise them explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a basic sequence, moving through the frequency categories, and signposting such as “Firstly” and “Last” helps the reader recognise that sequence. However, there is no distinct overview, and the ideas do not build towards a clear comparison of the three years. The repeated pattern “the people who eat…” makes the writing feel list-like, while “Now we highlight” and “further more” do not create meaningful links between the data. Grouping related trends—for example, the categories that rose or fell—and using a separate overview paragraph would give the report clearer progression. Check punctuation and capitalisation after sentence breaks so the organisation is easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant basic vocabulary for describing the chart, including “percentage,” “frequency,” and “from 2003 to 2013,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated references to “the people who eat.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “ilustrate,” “poeple,” and “pecentage,” which reduce accuracy. Some expressions, such as “habit of eating” and “Last,” are not natural choices for a formal chart summary. Use precise reporting language such as “the proportion of people,” “accounted for,” and “rose/fell,” and proofread spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most of the response uses simple sentence patterns, and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. For example, “The chart ilustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, and “the people who eat fast food every day … is” also mismatches a plural subject with a singular verb. Articles and sentence construction are sometimes awkward, as in “Chart shows pecentage of people,” while “from 2003 to 2013” is repeated where a more controlled comparison could be used. The response makes little use of varied complex structures, and punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and combine data comparisons using structures such as “whereas” and “while.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.