Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given piecharts gives information about the average percentage of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars in typical meals which have detrimental effects if eaten in large quantity.

Overall, the piecharts illustrates that sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars have occupied the major areas of the charts at different meal categories. However, the breakfast cover the minimum area in all the typical meals of three types of nutrients.

The first piecharts demonstrates that dinner contains maximum percentage of sodium by covering 43% area and lunch showing about 29% along with snack and breakfast comprise the similar amount of sodium with 14% nutrients.

The saturated fat also comrise the large area of the piechart with 37% after that lunch and snacks shows a saturated fat content of 26% and 21% respectively and breakfast again has the minimum amount of fat about 16%. The snacks contains maximum amount of added sugars that are 42% which is approximately the same percentage as that of sodium. Dinner shows 23% of added sugars along with lunch and breakfast showing 19% and 16% sugars.

All the three nutrients are shows huge variations in distribution and breakfast shows less percentage of all thethree nutrients.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the charts and provided relevant comparisons. You covered all three nutrients and the four meal categories. However, the response lacks a clear, analytical overview that synthesizes the data effectively. While you mention that breakfast has the lowest percentages, you could improve by highlighting the most significant trends, such as the contrast between dinner's high sodium and snacks' high added sugar content. The data is presented accurately, but the report would benefit from a more sophisticated selection of key features rather than listing figures for each category sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Overall', to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. For example, the phrase 'after that lunch and snacks shows' is a bit clunky. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'the piecharts' and 'the nutrients'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns or synonyms are used to refer back to previously mentioned data would enhance the cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'detrimental effects', 'variations', and 'distribution'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations. For example, you wrote 'the piecharts gives' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'breakfast cover the minimum area' (should be 'accounts for' or 'represents'). Furthermore, 'comrise' is a misspelling of 'comprise'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that your word choices are consistently accurate and appropriate for a formal report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The given piecharts gives', 'All the three nutrients are shows') and article usage (e.g., 'the breakfast cover', 'the snacks contains'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization and verb endings, and try to vary your sentence structures by using more complex clauses to describe the data comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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