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 saturated fat occupy 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 | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by summarizing the main features of the charts, noting that dinner has the highest sodium and saturated fat while snacks are highest in added sugar. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data, such as claiming that 'saturated fat occupy middle percentage' without clearly contrasting all categories. Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 145 words. This under-length impacts the overall completeness of the response, preventing it from reaching a higher band score. To improve, the student should ensure all main data points are accurately compared and strictly meet the minimum word count.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text lacks clear paragraphing and is presented as a single dense block of text, which significantly hinders readability and logical flow. While the student attempts to transition between ideas, the cohesive devices used are weak, repetitive, and mechanical (e.g., 'While, lunch...', 'Consequently, breakfast...'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of information smoothly. To achieve a higher score, the student must divide the response into distinct paragraphs—such as an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for specific data comparisons—and employ a wider variety of cohesive devices naturally.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication but is heavily repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'highest proportion', 'average percentage', and 'contains highest' are used repeatedly throughout the text. There are also noticeable lexical and collocation errors, such as 'highest consuming average percentage' and 'saturated fat occupy middle percentage'. The student attempts some less common terms like 'proportion' and 'variation', but overall control is limited. To improve, the student needs to incorporate a wider range of precise vocabulary and synonyms to describe statistical data, avoiding direct repetition of words from the prompt.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many sentences suffer from structural errors, such as comma splices (e.g., 'Saturated fat shows variation ,dinner contains highest average percentage') and missing articles or prepositions. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and punctuation throughout the text. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, their frequency prevents the writing from demonstrating good control of grammar. To improve, the student should focus on sentence boundaries, punctuation, and ensuring complex structures are formed accurately without missing functional words.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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