Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 4.0)

The pie charts describe the average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA and ,that may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, it is clear that three types of nutrients, sodium, saturated fats and sugars are maximum in breakfast .

On the one hand , three types of nutrients brakfast maximum same sodium , saturated fats and added sugars in 14% , 16% and 16% and snack eaten in sodium 14% , saturated in 21% and added suger in 42% .

One the other hand, in sodiumk lunch and dinner are eaten 29% and 43% . while , in saturated fats in lunch and dinner 26% and 37% than added suger in lunch and dinner 23% and 42% eaten by typical meals consumed in the USA. suger is unhealthy in snack high eathen in added suger for all bodys . .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to address the task by summarizing the provided charts. However, the information is presented in a fragmented and often inaccurate manner. For instance, the claim that all three nutrients are at a 'maximum' in breakfast is factually incorrect based on the data provided, which shows dinner as the highest for sodium and saturated fats. The report lacks a clear overview and fails to make meaningful comparisons, instead listing percentages in a way that is difficult to follow. The data interpretation is inconsistent, and the response does not effectively highlight the main features as required by the task instructions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay lacks logical organization and progression. While there is an attempt to use paragraphing, the sentences within the paragraphs are disjointed and lack cohesive devices to link ideas effectively. Phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'One the other hand' are used incorrectly, as they do not introduce contrasting arguments but rather list data points in a confusing sequence. The referencing is unclear, and the overall structure fails to guide the reader through the data, making the response difficult to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive, relying heavily on the words provided in the prompt. There are frequent errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'brakfast', 'suger', 'sodiumk', and 'eathen'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe trends or comparisons accurately. The student struggles to use precise terminology to describe the data, often resorting to awkward phrasing that impedes the clarity of the report. To improve, the student needs to focus on spelling accuracy and learning specific vocabulary for describing charts, such as 'proportion', 'account for', and 'peak'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting mostly of simple, error-prone sentences. There are frequent errors in basic sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. For example, 'three types of nutrients brakfast maximum same sodium' is grammatically incoherent. The misuse of prepositions and the lack of proper sentence boundaries make the text difficult to parse. There is no evidence of complex sentence structures, and the high frequency of errors causes significant strain for the reader, often obscuring the intended meaning of the data points being reported.

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.