Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-09
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The charts below show the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The pie charts illustrate the average percentages of the three types of nutrients (sodium, saturated fats and added sugars) in typical meals which may be unhealthy if consumed in excessive amount, in the USA.
Overall, it is evident that the percentages of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar gradually decreasing in the lunch and dinner. In contrast, these nutrients (sodium, saturated fats and added sugars) have increased percentages in snacks and breakfast.
Firstly, sodium is showing higher percentage 43% in dinner and lowest 14% similar percentage in snacks and breakfast, while 29% in the lunch. Additionally, saturated fat have highest percentage 37% in dinner then the lunch, snacks and breakfast contained 26, 21 and 16 percentages respectively.
Moreover, added sugars are having maximum 42 percentage in snacks and 23, 19 and 16 percentages in dinner, lunch and breakfast meals that may be unhealthy if consumed too much in the USA.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify all three nutrients and report several key figures accurately, including sodium peaking at dinner (43%) and added sugar at snacks (42%). However, the overview is misleading: the percentages do not gradually decrease in lunch and dinner; dinner is highest for sodium and saturated fat, while added sugar is highest at snacks. The claim that all nutrients increase in breakfast and snacks is also too broad. The response is 142 words, below the 150-word minimum, and the nine words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop a clearer overview of the contrasting meal patterns and use the remaining space to explain the most important comparisons rather than repeating the nutrient names.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting details. Sequencing with “Firstly” and “Moreover” helps the reader follow the nutrient-by-nutrient account. However, the overview does not provide a reliable organising summary, and the final paragraph combines the added-sugar figures without clearly contrasting its snack peak with the dinner pattern for the other nutrients. Some linking is mechanical, and the repeated list “sodium, saturated fats and added sugars” makes the overview less concise. Grouping the shared dinner peaks together, then contrasting added sugar’s snack peak, would create clearer progression and stronger cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “highest,” “lowest,” and “contained,” and the nutrient names are generally clear. The range is adequate for describing the data, but several choices are awkward or imprecise, such as “higher percentage 43%,” “maximum 42 percentage,” and “in excessive amount.” Repetition of “percentage” and the nutrient list also limits flexibility. Choose natural collocations such as “accounted for,” “the largest share,” and “the smallest proportion,” and use “excessive amounts” when referring to overconsumption. These refinements would make the comparisons more precise and fluent without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer structures, for example the opening sentence and the comparison beginning “while 29% in the lunch.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some errors in agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction remain. In “the percentages … gradually decreasing,” the verb form is incomplete; “saturated fat have” also has incorrect subject–verb agreement. The clause “while 29% in the lunch” lacks a complete verb, and “added sugars are having” is an awkward tense construction. Use complete clauses such as “Sodium accounted for 29% at lunch,” and check agreement and articles. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.
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.