Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12
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 THREE PIE CHARTS ILLUSTRATES THE AVERAGE RATION OF THREE DIFFERENT TYPE OF NUTRIENTS (SODIUM, SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR) CONSUMED IN USA INTO DAILY MEAL.
OVERALL, THE HIGEST CONSUMED NUTRIENTS ARE SODIUM AND ADDED SUGAR. ADDED SUGAR CONSUMED MOST WHILE DOING SNACKS. SIMILARLY, SODIUM CONSUMED MOST WHILE HAVING DINNER.
IN BREAKFAST, AN AVERAGE AMERICAN FAMILY EATS 14% OF SODIUM, 16% OF SATURATED FAT AND 16% ADDED SUGAR. IN LUNCH, THE AMOUNT OF SODIUM GETS ALMOST DOUBLE AT 29%. FOR DINNER, SODIUM FOLLOWS A PATTERN. THIS TIME THE RATION GETS NEALTY THREE TIME FROM BREAKFAST. IT IS 43% IN DINNER, WHICH MAKES IT HIGHES CONSUMES NUTRIENTS AMONG OTHERS. 42% OF ADDED SUGAR IS CONSUMED BY AMERICAN FAMILY WHICH MAKES IN SECOND HIGHEST NUTRIENTS. 37% OF SATURATED FAT IS CONSUMED IN DINNER AND 26% IN LUNCH. SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR SHARES THE SAME RATION OF 16% IN BREAKFAST.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the charts regarding sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars in typical US meals. Key data points are identified, such as the peak sodium consumption at dinner (43%) and lunch (29%), as well as added sugar at 42%. However, the response contains several inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the text claims 42% of added sugar is consumed in dinner, whereas the charts illustrate this as a daily total or across specific categories differently. Furthermore, the response is written entirely in uppercase, and crucially, it fails the length requirement by falling two words short of the 150-word minimum (containing 148 words). This under-length results in a direct penalty on Task Achievement. Consequently, the score reflects a partial address of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into an introduction and three body paragraphs, showing a basic attempt at paragraphing. However, the logical progression is weak. The second paragraph makes abrupt generalisations ('ADDED SUGAR CONSUMED MOST WHILE DOING SNACKS'), and the transition between meals in the third paragraph is jarring. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate ('SIMILARLY', 'THIS TIME THE RATION GETS NEALTY THREE TIME'). Referencing is also confusing, as seen in the statement 'SODIUM FOLLOWS A PATTERN'. Overall arrangement is somewhat disjointed, placing this writing firmly in the band 5 category for cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on fundamental terms like 'AVERAGE', 'CONSUMED', 'NUTRIENTS', and percentages. There are several noticeable lexical errors, such as 'ILLUSTRATES' with a plural subject ('THE THREE PIE CHARTS ILLUSTRATES'), 'RATION' instead of 'proportion' or 'percentage', and 'DOING SNACKS' instead of 'snacking'. Spelling errors also occur, such as 'HIGEST' instead of 'highest', 'NEALTY' instead of 'nearly', 'TIME' instead of 'times', and 'HIGHES' instead of 'highest'. This limited range and frequent vocabulary errors cause some difficulty for the reader and align with band 5 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('THE THREE PIE CHARTS ILLUSTRATES', 'SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR SHARES'), missing prepositions ('CONSUMED IN USA INTO DAILY MEAL'), and awkward phrasing ('GETS ALMOST DOUBLE AT 29%'). Punctuation is basic, and the entire text is written in capital letters, which is inappropriate for formal academic tasks. While meaning can mostly be deciphered, the frequency of errors places this firmly at a band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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