Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-30

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 4.5)

The line chart illustrates the percentage of American people who mostly eat fast foods in restaurants from 2003 to 2013.

Overall, the chart explain the multiple type of people who ate fast food on restaurants in the week, month, year and many more.

To begin with every day percentage of people who go on to the restaurants for fast food which is 4 percent in 2003 and 3 percent in both couple of year 2006 and 2013. Moreover, there is 5 percent people who never go on to the restaurants for fast food in 2003, 4 percent in both couple of year 2006 and 2013. Furthermore, percentage of people who reach hotels for fast food several time in a week 20 percent in 2006 and probably 17 percent in 2003 and 2013.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the chart’s subject and reports a few relevant figures, including daily eating and the several-times-a-week category. However, it does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns: for example, once a week was the most common frequency in 2003 and 2006, while once or twice a month became the leading category in 2013. Some figures are also inaccurate: “never” was about 4.5%, 3.5% and 3.5%, rather than 5%, 4% and 4%; and the 2013 figure for several times a week was 16%, not 17%. The response also falls short of the required 150 words. To improve, include an overview and compare the main categories across all three years, using accurate data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: an opening sentence is followed by an overview attempt and then a paragraph beginning “To begin with.” Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” show an effort to connect points. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview does not actually summarise the chart’s main trends, and the final paragraph moves between categories without a clear comparison. The repeated “there is” construction also makes the reporting feel list-like. Group related information—for example, the leading frequencies first, then the less common ones—and use clear comparisons between years. This would create a more logical progression and make the relationships between figures easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “restaurants,” and “in 2003,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or imprecise. “Mostly eat fast foods” does not accurately describe frequency categories, while “reach hotels for fast food” is unsuitable for the chart, which concerns restaurants. Phrases such as “every day percentage of people” and “couple of year” also make the meaning less natural. Use precise terms from the chart, such as “ate fast food daily,” “once a week,” and “the proportion of people,” and avoid adding settings or actions not shown in the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer sentences, particularly with “Moreover” and “Furthermore,” but most structures are simple, and errors recur in sentence formation and grammatical patterns. For example, “the chart explain” has subject–verb disagreement, and “people who go on to the restaurants” uses an awkward preposition pattern. The overview sentence, “the chart explain the multiple type of people,” is also difficult to interpret because its structure and agreement are faulty. There is some control in short statements such as “which is 4 percent in 2003,” but the overall range remains limited. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and prepositions, and build comparisons with clear patterns such as “The figure fell from X to Y.”

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