Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02
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 ilustrates the average percentage of three nutrients- sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed by the americans.
Overall, Sodium and saturated fat are highly consumed in dinner and lunch and less consumed in snacks and breakfast . Added sugar is highly consumed in snacks and bit similar in others.
Sodium and saturated fat are at highest consumed nutrients in dinner by the americans, sodium is on - 43% and saturated is on 37%. It is followed by the lunch, sodium is at 29% and saturated fat is at 26%. In snacks and breakfast sodium is consumed similar- at 14%. Saturated fat has not a large diffrence in snack and breakfast, they only have 5 percent diffrence.
Added sugar is highest consumed in snack with a large diffrence comapared to others it is on 42%. It is follwed by the dinner at 23%. After it, added sugar is consumed 19% in lunch by the americans. Americans consume added sugar in breakfast only 16%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all three nutrients and identifies the main features, such as the high consumption of sodium and saturated fats at dinner and the peak of added sugar in snacks. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing figures rather than synthesizing trends effectively. For example, stating 'sodium is on - 43%' is a list-like approach. To reach a higher band, you should group information more analytically, such as contrasting the dinner-heavy profile of sodium/fats with the snack-heavy profile of sugar, rather than describing each nutrient in isolation. The overview is present but could be more insightful regarding the overall nutritional patterns.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. There is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally awkward, such as 'After it' and 'It is followed by'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'conversely', 'in contrast', 'furthermore') to connect the data points more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different nutrients.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely heavily on basic verbs like 'consumed' and 'is'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'highest consumed nutrients' (should be 'most consumed') and 'large diffrence' (spelling error: 'difference'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms for 'consumed' (e.g., 'intake', 'ingested') and avoid repetitive phrasing. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The pie charts ilustrates') and awkward phrasing ('Saturated fat has not a large diffrence'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of hyphens and spacing. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic errors and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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