Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05
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 three pie charts illustrate Average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA. However, if may be unhealthy if over consumed.
Overall, Sodium and Saturated fat meals had consumed mainly in dinner. Respectively, Added sugar significantly taken in snack.
In term of Sodium, USA citizen highly consumed in dinner time (43%). Snack and breakfast both types of meals were stayed constant (14%) While, lunch contributed 29%.
Regarding saturated fat, again dinner had dominants with 37% of total proportion. Lunch share had slight decreased compare to sodium to 26%. Followed by snack increased to 21% and breakfast meal had only 16% of consumption.
Additionally in Added sugar, Snack had the largest proportion climb up to 42% and became the highly consumed meal in Added sugar nutrients. Although dinner fell to 23%, breakfast had same percentage as before (saturated fat nutrients) 16%. At last lunch had plunged to 19%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all three nutrients and identifies the main features, such as the dominance of dinner for sodium and saturated fats, and the snack category for added sugars. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing percentages rather than synthesizing the data effectively. The overview is present but lacks a clear comparison between the categories. While the main features are highlighted, the reporting of data is occasionally repetitive, and the summary could be more analytical by grouping the trends more effectively. The response meets the requirements of the task but lacks the depth of comparison needed for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often awkward or incorrect, such as 'In term of Sodium' and 'At last lunch had plunged'. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'same percentage as before (saturated fat nutrients)'. While there is an overall progression, the mechanical nature of the linking words and some awkward phrasing hinder the flow of the text, placing it firmly in the 6.0 range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'meals had consumed' (passive voice error), 'USA citizen highly consumed', and 'proportion climb up'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic descriptors like 'largest' and 'highly'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. While the meaning is generally clear, the errors in word choice are noticeable and occasionally impede the natural flow of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'if may be unhealthy if over consumed' (incorrect modal usage and fragment), 'Sodium and Saturated fat meals had consumed' (incorrect passive voice), and 'USA citizen highly consumed' (missing article and incorrect adverb placement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of capital letters and commas. While the errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the data, they are frequent enough to impact the overall quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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