Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-13
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 pie charts illustrates information about average percentages in simple meals of three categories of food, which may be unhealthy in significant number of use.
Overall, all three graphs looks very similliar, but added sugar type is very different compared with others.
Dinner has the highest percentage of unhealthy food in two categories of nutrients, in the first type the percentage is about 43%, while in saturated fat it had declined to just about 37%, and by the end dinner has singificantly decrease to over 23%. Lunch is much lower than dinner, but still placed in second place in two types of food, in the first category, it has just over 29%, in the second type it had decreased to over 26%, and in the last category lunch has sharply decline to about 19%.
Snack was the lowest meal in the sodium with just over 14%, but in the second category it had increased to over 21%, and by the end it had dramatically increased to about 42% and became the highest percentage compared with others. At the same time, breakfast had 14% in sodium, and had increased to 16% in saturated fat and did not have a changes in third category.
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 response covers the main features of the charts by discussing sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars across the four meals. However, the data reporting is often inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as claiming dinner 'has significantly decrease to over 23%' or misinterpreting the nutrient categories. While an overview is attempted ('all three graphs looks very similliar'), it is superficial and inaccurate since the charts show distinct patterns for each nutrient. The student manages to highlight key extremes like snacks having the highest added sugar, but the overall lack of accurate data selection places this performance at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organized into paragraphs, attempting an overall structure with an introduction, overview, and body details. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by repetitive and mechanical cohesive devices like 'in the first type', 'in the second type', and 'by the end'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the paragraphing mixes different categories and meals without a logical flow. Because the overall arrangement feels mechanical and transitions are weak, the response aligns with a Band 5.0 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on simple terms like 'percentage', 'category', 'food', and 'meal'. There are noticeable word choice and spelling errors, such as 'similliar', 'singificantly', and 'decrease' instead of 'decreased'. Less common lexical items are attempted ('dramatically increased', 'unhealthy food'), but inaccuracies in collocation and form ('significant number of use') restrict the range. This level of vocabulary and error frequency sits comfortably at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The pie charts illustrates', 'all three graphs looks'), tense inconsistencies ('it had declined', 'it had increased', 'did not have a changes'), and incorrect article usage. Complex structures tend to be faulty or awkwardly phrased, leading to occasional difficulty for the reader. These issues indicate a performance typical of Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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