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 illustrate information about average percentages in simple meals of three categories of food, which may be unhealthy in a significant number of use.
Overall, all three graphs look very similar, but the added sugar category 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 significantly decreased 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 declined 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 any 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 student attempts to address the task by reporting features from the charts showing the average percentages of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars. However, there are notable limitations. The response fails to explicitly name the three nutrients in the text, referring to them vaguely as 'two categories of nutrients', 'the first type', and 'the last category'. While an overview is attempted in the second sentence ('Overall, all three graphs look very similar, but the added sugar category is very different compared with others'), key data points and comparisons are inaccurate or confusingly expressed (for instance, misidentifying the data trends for snacks and breakfast). Because the information presented is sometimes unclear or imprecise regarding the specific charts, the task is only partially covered, aligning this response with Band 5 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response has a basic overall structure, featuring an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the progression of ideas is frequently hindered by mechanical and repetitive cohesive devices, such as 'in the first type', 'in the second type', and 'by the end'. Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping all data descriptions into dense, run-on sentences makes the text difficult to follow. Referencing is often unclear, as it is hard to determine which nutrient or chart the student is referring to in phrases like 'the first category'. These organizational and cohesive shortcomings place the response firmly in Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple words like 'percentages', 'food', 'category', 'high', and 'low'. There are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'average percentages in simple meals' instead of 'typical meals', and 'use' instead of 'usage' or 'consumption' ('unhealthy in a significant number of use'). Attempts to use less common vocabulary are limited and often flawed, though communication is generally maintained despite the lexical constraints. This performance meets the criteria for Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in tense usage, preposition choice, and clause construction, such as 'dinner has significantly decreased to over 23%' (where prepositions or directionality clash) and 'Snack was the lowest meal in the sodium'. Punctuation is also weak, leading to long, comma-spliced sentences that lack clarity. While some simple sentences are accurate, the frequency of grammatical errors causes some difficulty for the reader, which corresponds to a Band 5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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