Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-20

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 chart below illustrates the average percentages in typical meals where three types of nutrients which may be good for health or unhealthy if eaten unlimitedly

Overall, there are there circle where one circle have sodium percent another have saturated fat percent and the next one is added sugar percent.

Firstly the sodium consists of 4 main stage .the breakfast have 14 percent sodium where snack have also similarly to breakfast percent and the lunch have 2o percent but the dinner have 43 percent sodium

Let's going to second circle there are also based on 4 parts .breakfast have only 16 percent saturated fat it increase significantly the snack have 21 percent where lunch have 26 and the last one dinner have 37 percent saturated fat

At last talk about added sugar it also constantly increase breakfast have 16 only buy lunch have 19 where dinner have 23 and snack have 42 percent

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the three categories (sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars) and provides data for each. However, the analysis is superficial and lacks a clear overview of the main trends. The description of the charts is inaccurate, referring to them as 'circles' rather than pie charts or diagrams. While the data points are generally included, the comparison between the nutrients is weak, and the summary does not effectively highlight the most significant features, such as the high dinner percentages across all categories. The response is descriptive rather than analytical, which limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into short paragraphs, but the flow is disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas; for example, the transition between the nutrient categories is abrupt ('Let's going to second circle', 'At last talk about'). The referencing is often unclear, and the internal structure of the paragraphs is repetitive, relying on a list-like format rather than a logical progression of information. Paragraphing is present but does not effectively group related ideas to guide the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. The student uses basic terms like 'circle', 'parts', and 'percent' repeatedly. There is a lack of variety in reporting verbs or comparative language (e.g., 'increase significantly' is used, but the phrasing is often awkward). Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'unlimitedly' instead of 'in excess' or 'excessively'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to convey the information with precision or to demonstrate any flexibility in expression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('there are there circle', 'breakfast have'), missing articles, and incorrect verb tenses ('Let's going to'). Sentence structures are simple and often fragmented. Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing periods and capitalization errors. While the meaning is generally decipherable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band score.

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.