Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

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 5.0)

The pie charts compare the consumption of Sodium, Saturated fats and added suger across four typicals meals-breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner in USA.

overall, the dinner is the primary source of sodium and saturated fats, while snacks contributes the highest proportion of added sugar. In contrast breakfast consist the low amount of this three unheathly nutrients.

Looking at the figures in greater detail,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the main overall contrasts: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. These observations match the chart and show some understanding of its key features. However, the response stops before reporting any detailed figures or comparisons, and the sentence “Looking at the figures in greater detail,” is not followed by the promised information. The chart’s other meal percentages are therefore not summarised, leaving the task only minimally addressed. The response also contains 63 words, well below the required 150, which severely limits the coverage possible. To improve, complete the report with accurate figures—for example, dinner accounts for 43% of sodium and snacks for 42% of added sugar—and compare the remaining meals.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic structure: an opening sentence identifies the charts, followed by an overview of the main patterns. The contrast introduced by “while” helps connect the two overview points. However, the response has no developed body paragraph, so it does not progress from the overview to supporting details. The standalone lead-in “Looking at the figures in greater detail,” creates an expectation that is not fulfilled and leaves the ending abrupt. Capitalisation at the start of “overall” also interrupts the presentation. Organise the report into an introduction, a concise overview, and one or two detail paragraphs grouped by nutrient or meal; use clear links such as “By comparison” to guide the reader through the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant chart vocabulary, including “consumption,” “primary source,” “proportion,” and the names of the three nutrients. This gives it a suitable basic register for describing data. However, the range is narrow because there are no specific reporting verbs or varied expressions for comparing percentages. Several word-form, spelling, and collocation errors are noticeable, including “suger,” “typicals meals,” “snacks contributes,” and “unheathly.” These errors make parts of the opening and overview less polished, although the intended meaning is generally recoverable. Build a small set of accurate chart phrases, such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the largest share,” and check spelling and singular/plural forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both a simple introductory sentence and a longer overview sentence with a contrast clause, showing some sentence variety. The main ideas remain understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. In “the dinner is the primary source,” the article and phrasing are not well controlled; “snacks contributes” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “breakfast consist” also needs a correctly inflected verb. The phrase “breakfast consist the low amount” lacks a grammatical structure for expressing a small share. The final comma after “detail” leaves an incomplete sentence. Use complete sentences with accurate agreement and articles, for example, “Dinner accounts for the highest proportions of sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks contain the most added sugar.”

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