Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-04

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 bar chart illustrates the percentage of people in the USA ate in fast food restaurants between 2003 and 2013.

Overall. the highest proportions of the people participated in the activity and once a twice in the month over the period . In contrast, only a small percentage of people did it every day and never.

Furthermore, approximately 4% people participate every day in the year, and 3% in the next three years. In 2003, people eat 17% food in the restaurant in several times in a week while next 2 years people increased 20% to eat food in the restaurant in 2003.

Moreover, turning the remaining categories rose high

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt an overview by noting that daily eating and never eating were uncommon. However, the overview is unclear: “the highest proportions” does not specify which frequency categories were highest, and “once a twice in the month” is difficult to interpret. The response reports only a few figures and includes a confused comparison: the 17% figure is for 2003, while 20% is for 2006, not “the next 2 years” or an increase in 2003. Important patterns, such as the shift from weekly eating being most common in 2006 to monthly eating in 2013, are omitted. The response is also 53 words below the required minimum, limiting its coverage of the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening, an overview, and further details introduced with “Furthermore” and “Moreover.” This gives the reader some sense of progression. However, the final sentence, “turning the remaining categories rose high,” is incomplete and does not explain which categories or what changed. The comparison between 2003 and 2006 is also difficult to follow because the time reference and figures are mixed together. The overview and details are not developed into a clear, complete account, and the short response ends abruptly. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, and connect each figure explicitly to its year and category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportions,” “categories,” and “approximately,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural and make the data harder to understand. For example, “participated in the activity” is vague for describing restaurant visits, while “eat 17% food in the restaurant” confuses the percentage of people with the amount of food eaten. “Once a twice in the month” is also unclear, and “remaining categories rose high” does not convey a precise trend. Aim for concise chart language such as “the proportion who ate out several times a week” and “the figure rose/fell to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and a longer comparison, but grammatical control is inconsistent. The opening, “illustrates the percentage of people in the USA ate,” is missing a grammatical link such as “who ate.” In “Overall. the highest proportions,” the full stop is incorrectly used instead of a comma, and the sentence lacks a clear structure. Verb forms and time references are also faulty in “people eat 17%” and “people increased 20% to eat.” The final clause, “turning the remaining categories rose high,” is not grammatically complete. These errors often make relationships between figures unclear. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build comparisons with complete clauses, for example, “The figure rose from 17% in 2003 to 20% in 2006.”

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