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 charts illustrate the average proportion of three types of nutrients, namely, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar, contained in four different meals commonly consumed in USA.
Overall, it can be seen that the dinner account for the highest percentage of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the largest amount of added sugar. In contrast, breakfast generally has the lowest amount of all three nutrients.
To commence with, Starting with sodium, dinner contain highest amount of sodium approximately 43% followed by lunch at around 29%. Moreover, Breakfast and snacks consumed lowest percentage of sodium roughly at 14%. Furthermore, Saturated fat. The greatest proportion of saturated fat contain dinner and lunch almost 37% and 26% respectively.
On the other hand, snacks contain around 21% of saturated fat, while, breakfast consumed least amount of fat only 16%. In contrast, added sugar the pattern is different. The highest percentage of added Sugar of Snacks around 42% and followed by dinner at 23%. In addition, breakfast and lunch contain less amount of sugar approximately 16% and 19% respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the charts regarding the average percentages of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar across four meal types in the USA. An appropriate overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting that dinner accounts for the highest percentages of sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks contain the highest percentage of added sugar. Key data points are accurately cited, such as dinner being highest in sodium at 43% and snacks leading in added sugar at 42%. Comparisons between meals and nutrients are adequately made throughout the body paragraphs. While there are some awkward phrasing choices and minor organizational hiccups, the response covers all parts of the prompt well and meets the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0; here, it fully warrants a Band 6.0 due to some structural and developmental limitations in the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and an overall summary paragraph. However, cohesion and paragraphing within the body of the text are sometimes faulty and mechanical. For instance, the transition 'To commence with, Starting with sodium' is redundant and clumsy. Furthermore, the sentence fragment 'Furthermore, Saturated fat.' breaks the flow of logic and sentence structure. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs feel disjointed due to abrupt shifts between nutrients and meal categories, such as mixing sodium and saturated fat references erratically in the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes inaccurately or repetitively. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms such as 'proportion', 'nutrient', 'consumed', and 'percentage'. There are several noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'dinner contain highest amount' (grammatical/word form error) and 'breakfast and snacks consumed lowest percentage' (where meals consume rather than contain or comprise nutrients). Phrases like 'less amount of sugar' instead of 'a smaller amount' or 'lower proportions' also show limited precision. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and verb forms, such as 'dinner contain highest amount' (instead of 'contains'), 'saturated fat contain dinner' (instead of 'contained by' or 'are found in'), and 'added Sugar of Snacks around 42%' (missing a verb). Punctuation and comma splices also detract from control, as seen in 'while, breakfast consumed least amount'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the student from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.0 the most accurate descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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