Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-25
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 represent the propotion of average percentages of meals among variety of nutrients, such as sodium,saturated fat and added sugars in the USA.
Overall, dinner composes of highly significant portion with exception of added sugar where snack takes its position. Coversely, least significant portion was maximum shared by breakfast .
Dinner was the meal with 43% of sodium intake which was considerably higher than the others, followed by lunch which contibutes to 29% ,at the bottom of the spectrum is snack and breakfast with equal amount of segmants ie.14%.
Moreover, dinner was sharing 37% of saturated fat ,following this is lunch with 26% of share and next in line in snack and breakfast with 21% and 16% respectively.
Furthermore, snack share a considerablly higher segment in the added sugar which differes from the rest with higher percentage 42%,dinner was composed of 23% of the share , but still remains at second position,while lunch and breakfast shared small proportion with 19% and 16% of the total respectively .
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 identifies and reports the main features of the three pie charts regarding sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars in typical US meals. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, noting the dominance of dinner for most nutrients and snacks for added sugars. Key data points are accurately cited, such as dinner accounting for 43% of sodium and snacks taking 42% for added sugars. However, there are minor awkward phrasings and slight inaccuracies in data reporting, such as stating that snack and breakfast have equal segments for sodium (both 14%, which is correct, but awkwardly phrased). Overall, all parts of the task are addressed with relevant comparisons, placing this response comfortably in Band 6.5 to 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is structured with an introduction, a clear overview, and separate body paragraphs for each nutrient type, ensuring logical organization and progression throughout. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'following this'. However, some cohesion feels slightly mechanical and repetitive in structure ('Dinner was...', 'Moreover, dinner was...', 'Furthermore, snack share...'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to group information by nutrient category, but referencing and sentence linking can occasionally be clumsy, such as 'least significant portion was maximum shared by breakfast'. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'proportion', 'significant portion', 'contributes', and 'spectrum'. However, there are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'propotion' instead of proportion, 'composes of' instead of comprises, 'Coversely' instead of Conversely, 'contibutes' instead of contributes, and 'segmants' instead of segments. Furthermore, collocational awkwardness such as 'dinner composes of highly significant portion' detracts from precision. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent issues with prepositions, verb forms, and voice, such as 'dinner composes of' (active/passive confusion), 'dinner was sharing 37%' (inappropriate continuous tense for a static chart), and 'snack share a considerablly higher segment' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation and spacing errors are also noticeable around commas and numbers (e.g., '29% ,at the bottom', 'ie.14%'). These errors occasionally cause strain, but basic meaning remains clear, fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 profile.
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