Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-24

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 provided bar chart illustrates the information how frequently people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013. This bar chart shows the five categories of people between the given lifespan or decade. The first one is of those who ate fast food daily and the majority of them were from 2003 while the rest had same proportion till 2013. The second category is of those who ate fast food several times a week and majority were from 2006. The third one who ate once a week and majority were from 2006 and less number in 2013. The fourth one were having fast food once or twice a month in which majority of people were from 2013 and there was increase proportion too in 2003. The fourth one having fast food a few times a year in which the propotion were same for both 2006 and 2013 and less number in 2003. The last category is for those who never had ate fast food in the whole deacde. Overall it is evident that the majority of people about 31% were having the fast food once a week in 2006 and once or twice a month in 2013. It is clear from the data that in the given deacde there were low number of people who were not having fast food or unfamiliar with it about 4.5%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and mention several relevant categories, including daily eating, weekly eating and monthly eating. You also note that monthly visits were most common in 2013 and that the share eating a few times a year was similar in 2006 and 2013. However, the response only partly summarises the main features: it gives no clear account of the overall pattern across the three years, and several comparisons are vague or inaccurate. For example, the 2003 figure for eating once or twice a month was lower, not higher, than in 2006, while the 2013 figure was highest. The overview also misstates the peak as “about 31%” in 2006; the chart shows approximately 33%. Select the key trends and report them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a basic sequence through the frequency categories and ends with an overall statement, so the reader can recognise the intended structure. However, progression is limited because the categories are listed one after another without grouping related trends or clearly comparing the years. Repetition of “The first one,” “The second category,” and “The third one” makes the account mechanical, and “The fourth one” is used twice, which makes the sequence confusing. Some links between ideas are also unclear, such as “there was increase proportion too in 2003.” Organise the report into a short introduction, a clear overview, and paragraphs comparing the main patterns, using references such as “by contrast” or “whereas” accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “proportion,” “category,” and “majority,” and the reader can generally understand which eating frequencies you mean. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural for describing chart data. “Given lifespan or decade” does not clearly refer to the period, while “less number” and “unfamiliar with it” are unsuitable descriptions of the figures. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “propotion” and “deacde.” Use concise data-reporting language and check spelling carefully; for example, describe people as “the proportion who never ate fast food,” rather than suggesting they were unfamiliar with it. More precise vocabulary would make comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “in which,” but control is inconsistent and many sentences contain errors that make the relationships between ideas harder to follow. Examples include “illustrates the information how frequently,” “The fourth one were having,” and “who never had ate fast food.” There are also problems with articles, agreement and sentence construction, as in “the majority of them were from 2003,” where the intended comparison is not expressed clearly. Repeated sentence patterns also limit grammatical range. Practise forming accurate comparative sentences, such as “The proportion eating weekly was highest in 2006, whereas monthly visits peaked in 2013,” and check verb forms and subject–verb agreement.

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