Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22
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 given pie charts illustrat the intake percentage of nutrients such as sodium, saturated fat and added sugar from usual meals in the United State of America (USA), which might be harmful for health in case of over eating.
Overall, the quatitative percentage of the nutrients depends on the type of meals such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.
To start with the intake of sodium that is 43 % from dinner which is highest among all other meals. While it has same percentage in snack and breakfast with 14 %. In the lunch meal, percentage figure are standing just above to one fourth of total intake. In the second place, saturated fat has somehow same percentage in all the meals but with fluctuate pattern. It is highest supply from the dinner with 37 % and second highest from the lunch which is a slightly above to one fourth of its total intake. However, snack also plays important role with mild above to one out of five parts and from breakfast its supply is lowest with only 16 %.
To conclude with added sugar, which has very different pattern from the other two nutrients. It has highest supply from snack which is 42 % and from dinner its intake is just below the one fourth
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the charts and making relevant comparisons across the four meal times. An overview is present, noting that nutrient proportions depend on the meal type. Key data points are accurately identified, such as the highest sodium content occurring at dinner (43%) and added sugars peaking during snacks (42%). However, some descriptions are slightly awkward or wordy, such as 'percentage figure are standing just above to one fourth'. Overall, the response covers the requirements well, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is placed firmly at Band 6.5 due to minor inaccuracies in data reporting style.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from an introduction to body paragraphs detailing each nutrient, followed by a concluding summary of added sugars. Paragraphing is used, though the final section feels slightly tacked on rather than acting as a full concluding paragraph. Cohesive devices such as 'To start with', 'In the second place', and 'However' are employed to guide the reader through the data, although some referencing is a bit mechanical. Logical sequencing is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6.0 to 6.5 descriptor range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common terms like 'quatitative', 'fluctuate pattern', and 'proportion'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'illustrat' instead of illustrate, 'United State' instead of United States, 'over eating' instead of overeating, and 'quatitative' instead of quantitative. Phrasing like 'mild above to one out of five parts' is awkward and non-idiomatic. These errors do not impede overall communication but keep the lexical score at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms with varying success. While some sentences are accurate, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the intake percentage', 'in snack and breakfast'), incorrect subject-verb agreement ('percentage figure are standing'), and awkward prepositions ('supply from the dinner'). Punctuation is also sparse, with missing periods at the end of sentences. These errors reflect a typical Band 5.5 profile, where complex structures are attempted but often faulty.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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