Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-04
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 illustrate the proportion in typical meals of three kinds of nutrients, which may be unhealthy if eaten excessively.
Overall, snacks and dinner are major major conributing factor in added sugar and sodium type of meals. On the other hand, breakfast is least conributing factor in all types of meals.
To commence, the meal with sodium nutrients, in which dinner contributes 45%, lunch is 29%. Snaks and Breakfast makes 24% in combine. Moreover, the meal with saturated fat as nutrient, dinner contributes 37% and lunch at 26%. Lunch and snacks are 26%and 21% respectively. Furthermore, the last meal is added sugar, snacks is main factor which provides 45% proportion of total meal. Dinner add 23% in total proportion. Breakfast is !6% and lunch is 19% of total meal.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main parts of the task by reporting data for the three nutrients across the meals, but the coverage is partial and contains some inaccurate figures, such as stating that dinner contributes 45% for sodium and snacks provide 45% for added sugar, which do not match the chart data of 43% and 42% respectively. Furthermore, the overview attempts to highlight general trends regarding snacks, dinner, and breakfast, but it contains awkward phrasing and minor inaccuracies. Additionally, the response falls short of the required minimum length, coming in at 130 words, which restricts the depth of data reporting and prevents a fuller development of the main features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response presents an overall coherent arrangement with an introductory paragraph, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the progression is sometimes disjointed due to abrupt transitions between sentences, such as starting the details with 'To commence' and jumping straight into specific categories without clear grouping. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or are sometimes inaccurate, as seen in phrases like 'in combine' and 'the last meal is added sugar'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the body of the response is condensed into a single block of text rather than being logically separated by nutrient type or meal category, which limits the overall clarity of the presentation.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical resource is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'conributing' and 'proportion', but these are affected by spelling errors and awkward word choices. There are noticeable errors in word form and collocation, including 'Snaks and Breakfast makes 24% in combine' and 'Dinner add 23% in total proportion', alongside repetitive use of basic terms like 'meal', 'nutrient', and 'contributes'. While communication is generally maintained despite these slips, the vocabulary lacks the precision and flexibility expected at higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple clauses and basic linking verbs. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty, featuring frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns. Examples of errors include 'breakfast is least conributing factor', 'the meal with sodium nutrients, in which dinner contributes 45%, lunch is 29%', and punctuation slips like '!6%'. These frequent grammatical and punctuation errors require some effort to decode, though they rarely obscure the overall meaning completely.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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