Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

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 charts illustrates the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, dinner contains the high average of sodium. Snakes contains the high average of added sugar. Breakfast contains the minimum average of all three nutrients.

The average of sodium in the dinner is 43%.The average of sodium in snack and breakfast is 14%.

The average of sodium in lunch is 29%.The average of saturated fat in dinner is 37%. Lunch contain 26% saturated fat. Snack contain 21% of saturated fat. The average of saturated fat in breakfast is 16%.

The average of added sugar in dinner is 23%. Lunch contain 19% of added sugar. The average of

added sugar in breakfast is 16%. The lunch contain

42% of added sugar. The average of sodium in dinner is greater than the average of saturated fat

and added sugar. The average of sodium in breakfast and snack is less then the average of saturated fat and added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the three nutrients across the four meals. An overview is attempted, noting key extremes such as dinner containing the highest sodium and snacks having the most added sugar. However, there are contradictory or erroneous data statements in the body paragraphs, most notably when the student writes "The lunch contain 42% of added sugar," whereas the chart clearly shows snacks at 42% and lunch at 19% (a mix-up with the word "Snack" which appears immediately before in the draft). Despite these data misreadings, the overall trends are broadly identified, placing the response at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into short paragraphs, attempting an introduction, overview, and body details. However, the paragraphing is fragmented, with the third body paragraph consisting of isolated sentences and a data mix-up that disrupts logical progression. Cohesive devices are very basic and repetitive (frequent use of "The average of..."). There is a lack of smooth transitions between sentences and categories. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting abruptly between nutrients and meals without clear linking phrases. Overall coherence matches the Band 5.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, heavily relying on exact repetition of prompt terms like "average percentages," "sodium," "saturated fats," and "added sugars." There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, such as misspelling "Snacks" as "Snakes" and confusing food categories with incorrect data matching. The range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying basic numerical data, which places this criterion at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, primarily consisting of simple sentences starting with "The average of..." There are basic agreement errors, such as "The charts illustrates" (plural/singular mismatch) and "Lunch contain" (missing third-person 's'). Additionally, there is a punctuation and fragment issue where sentences run together without proper conjunctions, and a dangling comparison error ("less then" instead of "less than"). Frequent basic errors limit the score to Band 5.0.

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