Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-11

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 three pie charts describe the percentage of three nutrients i.e sodium, saturated fat & added sugar in three typical meals of people in the United States.

Over all, dinner consists more amount of sodium & saturated fats among all meals, while breakfast has the lowest ratio of nutrients in three meals.

As shown in charts , dinner has the large quantity with 43% of soduim. Snack and breakfast consists of 14% each - Additionly, lunch has 29% of sodium in it -

Dinner is also the biggest provider of saturated fat with 37% and lunch remained in second spot with 26% - In fact, snack consist 21% of saturated fat as breakfast is at low with 16% of it.

Ultimately, Added sugar is concerned, surprisingly, snacks has come up on top with 42%, while dinner is on the second with 23% and lunch is just behind at 19% - since, dinner has low amount of all nutrients, added sugar is also the same case with 16%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three nutrients and identifies the main features, such as dinner being the highest for sodium and saturated fats, and snacks leading in added sugars. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing percentages rather than synthesising the data effectively. There is a factual error in the final sentence: the student claims 'dinner has low amount of all nutrients' and 'added sugar is also the same case with 16%', which contradicts the data provided in the charts. While the main trends are identified, the lack of accurate synthesis and the misinterpretation of the final data point prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Over all', 'As shown in charts', and 'Ultimately'. However, the use of punctuation is problematic; the student frequently uses hyphens ('-') instead of standard full stops or commas, which makes the flow feel disjointed and mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between ideas could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, but the reliance on repetitive sentence structures limits the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'nutrients', 'ratio', 'quantity', and 'provider'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'soduim' and 'Additionly', and some awkward phrasing, such as 'dinner is on the second'. The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with collocations, such as 'breakfast is at low', which should be 'breakfast is the lowest'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('snack consist', 'breakfast consists'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction ('Added sugar is concerned, surprisingly, snacks has come up on top'). Punctuation is a significant weakness, with hyphens used incorrectly to end sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors indicates a lack of control over complex structures, keeping the score in the 5.5 to 6.0 range.

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