Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-27

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 illustrates the frequency of eating at fast food restaurants among people in the United States of America over a period 10 years. Overall, it is clear from the chart majority of people of USA ate fast food once a week and once or twice a month. In contrast, some residents are interested in fast food everyday, while a small number of people never ate jung food at resturants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview, noting that weekly and monthly visits were common and that daily visits and never eating out were less common. However, the response reports no figures or year-by-year comparisons, so it does not adequately summarise the main changes: for example, monthly visits became the most common category in 2013, while weekly visits peaked in 2006 and then declined. The claim that most people ate fast food weekly and monthly is also imprecise, since these are separate categories rather than a majority combined. The response is substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. Add an overview supported by accurate comparisons and key data for all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it introduces the chart, gives an overall statement, and contrasts frequent with infrequent eating. The linking phrases “Overall” and “In contrast” help signal these moves. However, the answer ends after this brief overview and has no developed body paragraph, so there is little progression from general summary to specific evidence. The contrast is also broad rather than clearly organised around the chart’s categories or changes over time. To improve, use a clear introduction, an overview, and one or two body paragraphs grouping related frequencies or years. Connect each comparison explicitly, such as describing how weekly visits changed before explaining the rise in monthly visits by 2013.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “frequency,” “fast food restaurants,” and “once or twice a month,” and the main subject remains understandable. However, the range is limited, with repeated reliance on basic phrases such as “people” and “ate.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems: “jung food” appears to be an attempt at “junk food,” “resturants” is misspelled, and “everyday” should be “every day” when referring to frequency. “Residents are interested in fast food” is not a precise way to describe how often people ate there. Use accurate chart language such as “the proportion of people,” “visited,” “accounted for,” and “declined,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes a few simple sentence patterns and one introductory participle phrase, as in “The bar chart illustrates…”. Meaning is generally recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven. In “it is clear from the chart majority of people,” the clause needs “that” and an article: “it is clear from the chart that the majority…”. “Over a period 10 years” is missing “of,” and “some residents are interested” shifts into the present tense and describes interest rather than the chart’s past eating behaviour. The sentence beginning “while” also needs clearer parallel structure. Build a wider range of accurate comparisons using past-tense forms, for example, “The proportion eating weekly rose…, before falling…”. Proofread articles, clause links, and tense consistency.

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