Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-27
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 compares the average porportion of sodium, saturated fat and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA. Overall, in dinner sodium accounted for the largest portion, whereas in breakfast the sodium represented the smallest share. It is also noticeable in lunch and breakfast saturated fat and added sugars made up a substantial portion of the total. Looking at the largest categories, In dinner sodium accounted for 43% followed by lunch at 29%. By comparsion,snacks and breakfast represented a smaller porportion at 14%. Turning to remaining categories, added sugars accounted for 42% in snacks, while dinner represented 23%. Breakfast made up the smallest share, at just 16%. The next category is saturated fat, the largest porportion accounted 37% in dinner and followed by least common is 16% in breakfast.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the main features of the charts, such as reporting that dinner accounted for the largest portion of sodium (43%) and added sugars peaked in snacks at 42%. However, there are notable omissions and inaccuracies; for instance, the overview contains vague and slightly confused assertions about saturated fat and added sugars in breakfast and lunch. More importantly, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement, containing only 132 words against the required 150 words. This under-length severely limits the extent to which ideas can be fully developed, capping the task achievement score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a basic overall progression, starting with an introductory sentence followed by general trends and specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the largest categories', 'By comparison', and 'Turning to remaining categories' are used to structure the text. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, as the entire response is written as a single block of text instead of grouping information logically into paragraphs. Furthermore, referencing and referencing markers become slightly mechanical and repetitive towards the end, restricting the score to a band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts to incorporate less common items and paraphrasing phrases such as 'accounted for', 'largest portion', and 'represented a smaller proportion'. However, there are several spelling errors, most notably 'porportion' instead of 'proportion' and 'comparsion' instead of 'comparison'. Word choice is occasionally awkward, such as 'the largest proportion accounted 37% in dinner and followed by least common is 16% in breakfast'. These lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory dependent clauses ('Looking at the largest categories, In dinner sodium accounted for...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are punctuation errors, such as a missing comma or incorrect capitalization ('In dinner'), and awkward syntax in sentences like 'the largest porportion accounted 37% in dinner and followed by least common is 16% in breakfast', which contains a serious structural error. While simple sentences are generally clear, complex structures frequently introduce errors that hinder fluency.
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