Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-30
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 5.0)
These bar charts show the average percentage of three nutrients in different meals which could be unhealthy if eaten too much.
Overall, among sodium,saturated fat and sugar,Dinner accounts for the highest proportion of sodium consumption.,snacks contain the highest proportion of Sugar and saturatef fat occupies middle percentage.
The bar charts contain several portions including dinner,lunch,breakfast and snack. Sodium accounts for the highest consuming average percentage of 43% and lowest in breakfast and in snacks which is 14%,lunch contains 29% sodium.
Saturated fat shows variation ,dinner contains highest average percentage.while, lunch and snacks have 26% and 21%. Consequently, breakfast has the lowest percentage as 16%.
Sugar contains highest proportions in snacks contain 42%, Dinner contains 23% of sugar,breakfast and lunch contain 16% and 19%.
All nutrients have diverse average percentage which could be unhealthy if consumed in large amount.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the main features of the charts, noting that dinner accounts for the highest proportion of sodium and snacks account for the highest proportion of added sugar. However, there are several data inaccuracies and omissions. For instance, the student states that saturated fat 'occupies middle percentage' without clearly summarising its distribution, and refers to the visuals as 'bar charts' rather than pie charts. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 138 words. This word count penalty directly impacts the task achievement score, as the overview and data selection remain slightly underdeveloped due to length constraints.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The response features an overall introduction and concluding sentence, but the internal paragraphing is extremely poor, with multiple sentences crammed together awkwardly. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes misused, such as 'while,' followed by a comma fragment or 'Consequently' used incorrectly to link unrelated nutritional data. The progression of ideas lacks clear logical sequencing; jumping between different nutrients and meal times within the same sentences makes the text difficult to follow. Referencing is also weak, relying heavily on repetitive sentence structures like 'contains highest' or 'accounts for'.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on words like 'percentage', 'proportion', 'highest', 'lowest', and 'contains'. There are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'saturatef' instead of 'saturated' and 'consuming average percentage'. Less common lexical items are largely absent, and collocations are occasionally unnatural (e.g., 'highest consuming average percentage'). While the meaning is generally decipherable, the limited and repetitive range of vocabulary restricts the score to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple and poorly controlled compound sentences. There are frequent punctuation errors, including comma splices (e.g., 'Saturated fat shows variation ,dinner contains highest average percentage.while, lunch...'). Run-on sentences and fragments are common, such as 'snacks contain the highest proportion of Sugar and saturatef fat occupies middle percentage.' Although some basic sentences are accurate, the high frequency of structural and punctuation errors causes noticeable strain for the reader.
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