Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21
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 chart illustrates the average percentages of nutrients in three types of meals and they can cause health problems if the intake of all these exceeded the nutritional limits.
Overall, the two types of nutrients namely sodium and saturated fat have an overwhelming majority for consumption during dinner, whereas the added sugar dominates the snacks category. The breakfast and lunch having an nominal proportion of all three nutrients.
Firstly, the soduim and saturated fat are the lion's share for about 43 percentage and 37 percentage for the consumption in dinner. Secondly, the sodium shares the equal 14 percentage in snacks and breakfast intakes and saturated fat is gradually increased in snacks for about 21 percentage and nominally soared in breakfast for 16 percentage and lunch consitutes the prevaling preference for about 29 percentage for sodium and 26 percentage for lunch.
The added sugar is the undisputed leader in the snacks category where the it occupies about 42 percentage. Moreover, we can also witness the signifiacant rise in dinner category for 23 percentage and 19 percentage for lunch and for mininal range of 16 percentage for breakfast
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all parts of the visual data by reporting the main features of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars across the four meal categories. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the main trends correctly (dinner for sodium and saturated fats, snacks for added sugars). Key data points, such as 43% for sodium at dinner and 42% for added sugar during snacks, are accurately cited from the prompt data. However, there are minor numerical typos and awkward phrasings in reporting specific values (e.g., writing 'soduim' and 'percentage' instead of figures or percent signs), but the overall selection and reporting of main features meet the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0. Because the information is clearly presented and addresses all parts of the prompt, a score of 6.5 is appropriate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four logical paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data points. Cohesive devices and sequence markers are used throughout, such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover'. However, some of these devices are used mechanically and transitions between sentences can feel slightly disjointed. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main trends from the detailed breakdowns. While referencing is generally clear, occasional awkward sentence structuring slightly impedes smooth progression. This fits the Band 6.0 descriptors well, as the essay has a coherent overall arrangement even though cohesive devices are sometimes clumsy.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common collocations and lexical items such as 'overwhelming majority', 'lion's share', 'undisputed leader', and 'prevaling preference'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('soduim', 'signifiacant', 'mininal') and occasional awkward word choices or derivations, such as 'nominal proportion' or 'consitutes the prevaling preference for about 29 percentage for sodium and 26 percentage for lunch'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they lower the precision of the response, placing it firmly in the Band 6.0 category where vocabulary is adequate for the task but contains noticeable inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and compound-complex sentences. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The breakfast and lunch having an nominal proportion'), incorrect prepositions or article usage ('where the it occupies', 'for mininal range'), and punctuation/phrasing faults. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching a Band 7.0. The mix of structures combined with persistent errors aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.