Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-26
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 depicts the percentage of three types of nutrients in typical meals of a day in U.S.A.
It can be seen clearly from the first pie chart that the dinner contains the highest percentage of sodium, with 43% of total. Whereas, it is followed by lunch at 29% of total sodium. Moreover, breakfast and snack both accounts for 14% each for the same.
The second chart illustrates the percentage of saturated fat in a meal. dinner contains highest proportion of saturated fat, at 27% of total. Furthermore, dinner and snack meal accounts for 26% and 21% of total saturated fat, respectively. Lastly, breakfast reports to have 16% of total saturated fat.
The last circular chart shows the average amount of added sugar in a meal. Surprisingly, snack accontunts for 42% of total added sugar. Then, it is followed by dinner at 23% and lunch at 19% of total. Not only this, breakfast contains 16% of total added sugar.
Overall, it can be seen vividly that dinner is the meal which contains the highest figure of nutrients majorly. However, in case of added sugar, then snacks win the race.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the three pie charts regarding sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar consumption in the USA. An adequate overview is provided in the final paragraph, summarising the overarching trend that dinner dominates most nutrient categories, while snacks lead in added sugar. Key data points are accurately cited, such as dinner accounting for 43% of sodium and snacks representing 42% of added sugar. However, there are minor data discrepancies in the second paragraph regarding saturated fat, where the student writes 'dinner contains highest proportion of saturated fat, at 27%' (the visual data actually shows 37%) and then states 'furthermore, dinner and snack meal accounts for 26% and 21%' (repeating dinner incorrectly instead of lunch, which is 26%). Despite these data transcription errors, the response successfully addresses the prompt and makes relevant comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is used logically, separating the introduction, the three body paragraphs detailing each chart, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'It can be seen clearly', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Then, it is followed by'. However, some cohesive referencing is faulty or mechanical, and the repetition of transitional phrases makes the structure slightly rigid. Paragraphing and logical flow are generally maintained, but the cohesion falls short of Band 7 due to some mechanical overuse of basic transition words.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'percentage', 'proportion', 'average amount', and 'nutrient'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are made, though some word choices and spellings are inaccurate. For instance, 'accontunts' contains a spelling error, and the phrase 'snacks win the race' is overly informal for an Academic task. Additionally, referencing 'dinner and snack meal accounts for 26% and 21%' contains repetitive and slightly unnatural phrasing. The lexical resource is sufficient to convey the meaning, but errors in spelling and collocation prevent it from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('It can be seen clearly from the first pie chart that...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'breakfast and snack both accounts' and typo-level slips. Punctuation in the conclusion ('However, in case of added sugar, then snacks win the race') is clumsy and redundant. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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