Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17
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 delineate the distrubation of three type of nutrients in a typical meal. Which might be unhealthy if eaten too much.
Overall, it can be seen that the consumption of Sodium and Saturated fat are noticabely higher at dinner time, while the Added suger is the dominant at snack time.
To commence with, Sodium and Saturated fat are consideberly higher at dinner time, accounting for 43% and 37% respectively. Furthermore, consumption of sodium in lunch time at 29% compared with breakfast and snacks at 14%.
According to second graph, distribution of Saturated fat consumption, breakfast recording 16% in comparition with snacks and lunch at 21% and 26% respectively. Thereafter, consumption of Added suger is higher in snacks time at 42%, while the lowest in breakfast at 16%. Moreover, dinner occupied 23% compared with lunch at 19%
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key highlights such as dinner having the highest percentages of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks dominate added sugar (42%). An overview is provided, noting these dominant trends. However, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 138 words. This under-length impacts the overall development and completeness of the task. Additionally, there are minor data inaccuracies, such as stating that 'consumption of sodium in lunch time at 29% compared with breakfast and snacks at 14%' without fully completing the comparative structure or missing precise contextual references. Because the word count requirement is not met, the score is limited.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting a logical structure with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'Overall, it can be seen', 'To commence with', and 'Thereafter'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'According to second graph' is awkward, and sentence boundaries are disrupted in the introduction where a fragment is created ('Which might be unhealthy if eaten too much.'). Paragraphing is attempted but lacks smooth progression, resulting in a slightly disjointed reading experience. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, but logical links require better control.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'delineate', 'distrubation' (distribution), 'noticabely', and 'dominant'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('distrubation', 'noticabely', 'suger', 'consideberly', 'comparition') and word choice inaccuracies that detract from the quality. Collocations are sometimes unnatural, as seen in 'snacks time' or 'distribution of Saturated fat consumption'. While the range is minimally adequate to convey the basic points, the frequent spelling and lexical errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There is a major punctuation and sentence structure error in the introduction, where a subordinate clause is punctuated as a separate sentence ('Which might be unhealthy if eaten too much.'). Other grammatical errors include missing prepositions or incorrect verb forms, such as 'while the Added suger is the dominant at snack time' and 'dinner occupied 23% compared with lunch at 19%'. While some sentences are clear, frequent errors in syntax and sentence boundaries cause some difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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