Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-22

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 compares how frequently people in USA ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013. Overall, the percentage of individuals dining out everyday and the percentage of people who never consumed fast food remains under 5%. However, individuals who ate fast food fast food once a week or maximum eating twice in a month is the highest.

People who ate fast food several times a week was highest in 2006 which is 20 percent followed by the years 2003 and 2006 which remains under roughly 17 percent. In 2006 approximately 32% individuals ate fast food in 2006 and around 32% people ate fast food in 2013 once or twice a week, however; in 2006 there is significant drop in percentage of people who ate fast food twice a week. Whereas, people who had fast food few times a years remain constant in 2006 and 2013 with 15%

In stark contrast, individuals percentage who ate everyday from outside or ate never is under 5 %.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include a broad overview, noting that daily eating and never eating were both below 5%, while weekly or monthly visits were more common. However, the overview is unclear about which category was highest, and several key comparisons are inaccurate or confusing. For example, the peak for “once a week” was 33% in 2006, not approximately 32% in both 2006 and 2013; in 2013, “once or twice a month” was 33%. The statement that several-times-a-week figures in 2003 and 2006 were both under 17% also misreports 2006, at 20%. Select the main shifts accurately and distinguish the frequency categories to make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an introduction, an attempted overview, and further detail, so there is some organisation. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the main comparisons are not grouped consistently, and the second paragraph repeats or muddles information. For instance, “In 2006 approximately 32% individuals ate fast food in 2006” repeats the year and does not clearly identify the frequency category. Connectors such as “however” and “Whereas” are used without clear relationships between the ideas, and the final paragraph repeats the point about daily and never eating rather than adding a new comparison. Organise the body by frequency groups or by year, and use linking words only where the contrast or sequence is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “percentage,” “significant drop,” “remains constant,” and “in stark contrast.” This gives you a basic range for the task, but several expressions are imprecise or repetitive and sometimes make the data hard to interpret. “Maximum eating twice in a month” is not a natural way to describe the monthly category, while “ate fast food twice a week” changes the chart’s meaning. There is also repetition in “fast food fast food.” Aim for precise category labels and natural collocations, such as “ate at fast-food restaurants” and “the proportion who visited once or twice a month.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences and use clauses with “however” and “whereas,” but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes obscure the comparisons. Subject–verb agreement is a recurring issue: “the percentage … remains” should be “remained,” and “People … was highest” should be “The proportion … was highest.” The sentence beginning “In 2006 approximately 32% individuals…” is also difficult to parse, with a repeated year and missing article before “individuals.” Punctuation around “however” is faulty, and some sentences join contrasting ideas without a clear grammatical structure. Practise writing shorter, accurate comparison sentences first, then combine them using correctly punctuated clauses.

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