Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-19
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 chart demonstrates the share of nutrients that teh residents of the USA take through their meals. Sodium has equal numbers in breakfast and snack ans it has a lion's share of 43% in dinner. In lunch the amount of sodium is almost twice to its amount in breakfast. The highest proportion of saturated fat goes to dinner that is 37% to be exact and it is present in least amont of 16% breakfast. 26% of the saturated fat is present in lunch that is 5% more than in snack. Added sugar just like saturated fat has equal participation in breakfast but it is rich in snack. In lunch 19% sugar is there which is 4% less than in dinner. Overall breakfast has the least percentage of all three nutrients. Dinner and snack contaion a high amount of a particular nutrient, while lunch stands in between the highest and lowest shares.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all three nutrients (sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar) across the four meal times, presenting key data points such as the peak for sodium at dinner (43%) and added sugar in snacks (42%). An overview is provided at the end, noting that breakfast has the lowest percentage overall while dinner and snacks contain high amounts. However, some comparisons are slightly imprecise, such as stating that lunch is 'almost twice' breakfast for sodium (29% vs 14%, which is closer to double but slightly less precise), and there are minor typographical errors like 'teh'. Overall, the key features are adequately reported, aligning with the requirements for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into a single, dense body paragraph following the introductory sentence, which limits the logical structuring of ideas. Although there is a clear overarching progression moving from sodium to saturated fat and then added sugar, cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical ('In lunch', 'added sugar just like saturated fat'). Paragraphing is insufficient as the entire body of the report is clumped together rather than separated logically by nutrient or meal category. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of distinct paragraphs affects the overall flow and organization, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common collocations and phrases such as 'lion's share', 'equal participation', and 'stands in between'. However, there are notable spelling and typographical mistakes, such as 'teh' for the, 'ans' for and, 'amont' for amount, and 'contaion' for contain. Word choice is sometimes awkward, as seen in 'Added sugar just like saturated fat has equal participation in breakfast but it is rich in snack.' These lexical errors and awkward phrasings restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'In lunch the amount of sodium is almost twice to its amount in breakfast' and '26% of the saturated fat is present in lunch that is 5% more than in snack.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward prepositions, such as 'in lunch' instead of 'at lunch' or 'for lunch', and missing commas which affect readability. Complex structures often contain minor inaccuracies. While communication is not impeded, the frequency of grammatical slips limits the score to Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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