Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-20
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 illustrate the percentages of nutrients in three types of typical meals, if all of these eaten to much may be harmful. Overall, the quantity of sodium and saturated fat higher in dinner whereas more sugar added in snacks.
Firslty, sodium percentage is highest in dinner 43% but saturated fat lesser than sodium 37% in dinner. In the lunch quantity of both nutrients approximately equal 29% sodium and 26% saturated fat. Sodium has same amount in breakfast and snacks which is 14%. Saturated fat found little higher in brakfast 16% and 21% in snacks.
Moreover, sugar precentage is increase in sncaks reaching 42% while dinner has lowest sugar in comparison to other two about 23%. Breakfast has the same quantity of sugar as saturated fat 16% which is higher than sodium. Only 19% sugar is added in the lunch, it is low percentage to other nutrients.Sugar quantity is much more different to other items in four meals whereas sodium and saturated fat have minor differences.
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 candidate successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the charts and making relevant comparisons. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that sodium and saturated fat are highest at dinner, while added sugar peaks during snacks. Key data points are accurately identified and reported, such as the 43% for sodium at dinner and 42% for sugar in snacks. While the second paragraph contains minor awkward phrasing, the core trends and comparisons are clearly articulated and well-grounded in the visual data. This meets the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, and is awarded a solid Band 6.0 due to some under-development in data synthesis.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically into an introduction, body paragraph, and concluding summary paragraph, giving it a coherent overall structure. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or missing, and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as abrupt transitions between sentences (e.g., starting sentences directly with 'Firslty' and 'Moreover' without smooth integration). Paragraphing is attempted, but the body of the text is slightly clumped. Progression is generally clear, though the links between ideas could be managed with greater flexibility. This performance aligns with the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'percentages', 'nutrients', 'quantity', and 'comparison'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'eaten to much' instead of 'eaten too much', 'Firslty', 'lesser', 'brakfast', 'precentage', and 'sncaks'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some inaccuracy. While communication is not impeded, these frequent mechanical and spelling errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The pie charts illustrate the percentages...' and 'Overall, the quantity of sodium and saturated fat higher in dinner whereas more sugar added in snacks.' There are several grammatical errors, including missing auxiliary verbs (e.g., 'is higher', 'is added') and incorrect preposition use. Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is not seriously impeded. The range of structures is somewhat limited, which corresponds well to the Band 5.5 or 6.0 descriptors; a Band 5.5 is appropriate due to the persistence of basic grammatical slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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