Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)

The bar chart illustrates how consistantly individuals in the United States of America ate in fast food restaurants from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, people who eat junk food regular is the lowest in between 2003 and 2013 appromaxly 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The opening identifies the chart’s subject and time period, but the response does not summarise the main patterns or compare the three years. The statement that regular fast-food eating was “the lowest” is not supported: the chart’s lowest categories are eating every day or never, while the most common frequencies are once a week or once or twice a month. The approximate figure of 4% is close to some low-frequency values, but it is not an adequate overview. The response also contains only 39 words, so it falls substantially short of the required 150. To improve, report the main trends and several accurate comparisons, including the shift from weekly eating towards monthly eating by 2013.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introductory sentence is followed by a separate overview beginning with “Overall”. This gives the reader a simple structure, and the ideas are at least connected to the chart topic. However, the response ends after the overview, so there is no progression into supporting details or comparisons. The relationship between “regular” eating and “the lowest” is also unclear, making the central point difficult to follow. Develop a clear sequence: introduce the chart, summarise its main pattern, then group and compare the relevant figures. Use linking expressions only where they clarify how the data relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “bar chart”, “individuals”, and “fast food restaurants”, so the topic is recognisable. However, the vocabulary is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unsuitable for a formal data summary. “Junk food” changes the chart’s wording and is less precise than “fast food”, while “people who eat … regular” does not express the intended frequency clearly. There are also spelling errors in “consistantly” and “appromaxly”. Use precise frequency language such as “daily”, “several times a week”, and “once or twice a month”, and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response shows some control of basic sentence forms: “The bar chart illustrates…” is a complete, understandable sentence, and “Overall” introduces a second statement. However, the range is very narrow, with no developed comparisons or complex structures. In “people who eat junk food regular is the lowest”, the clause has faulty agreement and structure: “people” is plural, and the people themselves are not a frequency category. The phrase “the lowest in between 2003 and 2013” is also grammatically unclear. Practise accurate patterns such as “The proportion of people eating fast food daily was low” and “The share eating weekly fell from … to …”.

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.