Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-13
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 below illustrate the proportion of three kinds of detrimental nutrients in usual meals in the USA, if they are consumed excessively it can be hazardous.
Overall, the amount of sodium, saturated fat and sugar is considerably diminishing mainly in dinners along with lunch. In the breakfast these ingridients are remaing approximately stable. However, in the snacks the amount of them is rising up continuously.
The meals in the breakfast and snacks in brunch contains highest percentage of harmful nutrients that can be the reason of major heart issues. The afternoon meal includes substantial amount of sugar, sodium and saturated fat of 42%, 14% and 21%, respectively. The morning meal contains these three ingridients about 14% of sodium and 16% of fats and sugars.
The quantity of sodium, saturated fat and sugar in night meals is dropping by 43%, 37% and 23%, respectively. Furthermore, the volume of these components in mid day meal is reducing from 29% to 19%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the charts but struggles with accuracy and clarity. While it identifies the three nutrients, the description of the data is often confusing or contradictory. For example, the text claims the amount of nutrients is 'diminishing' in dinners, but the data provided for 'night meals' is presented in a way that makes it difficult to verify against the charts. Furthermore, the categorization of meals (e.g., 'brunch') is not clearly supported by the provided charts. The report lacks a clear overview of the main trends, and the specific figures cited are sometimes difficult to follow, which hinders the reader's ability to understand the information presented.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'However' and 'Furthermore', they are sometimes used incorrectly or do not effectively link the ideas. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the different meal types. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear focus, making the overall flow of the report feel somewhat disjointed and mechanical.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'ingridients' (ingredients) and 'remaing' (remaining). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning, but there is a lack of precision. Phrases like 'rising up continuously' and 'dropping by' are used in a way that suggests a misunderstanding of the data or the terminology. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends and proportions, and ensure that spelling is accurate throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The meals... contains'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'can be the reason of major heart issues'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often feels clunky. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the clarity and accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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