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 compares the proportion of three basic type of nutrients i.e sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals which are unhealthy if over consumed.

Overall, dinner constituted the largest share of Sodium and Saturated fats, whilst, Breakfast accounted for the smallest share of Sodium and Saturated fats. Snacks contains the largest amount of added sugar among all the other meals.

Dinner represented 43% of sodium and of saturated fats. This was followed by the lunch at 29% of sodium and 26% of saturated fats. Together, they accounted for over half of the total sodium and saturated fats found in typical meals.

Moreover, Snacks cover the 43% of the total of Added sugars. Followed by the 23% covered by dinner. Together covering half of the total added sugar an individual can consume in a day.

In contrast, Breakfast accounted for the least amount of all the nutrients, with 14% of sodium, 16% of Saturated fats, and 16% of added sugar. Followed by sugar with 14% of sodium and 16% of Saturated fats, whilst, containing the maximum amount of added sugar out of all the meals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully met the minimum word count, with nine words copied directly from the prompt excluded. You addressed all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the three charts, providing useful comparisons such as noting that dinner constituted the largest share of sodium and saturated fats. However, your response sits at this level because some parts of your coverage are uneven or inaccurate. For instance, in the fourth paragraph, you claim that snacks cover 43 percent of added sugars, whereas the data shows 42 percent, and you repeat a similar error in the final paragraph regarding breakfast and sodium figures. While you provided a general overview, some specific details lacked complete accuracy, and certain comparisons could have been more fully extended to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, and you attempted to organise your ideas into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to specific nutrients. Progression is generally maintained through sequencing words such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast'. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, your referencing is unclear in the final paragraph where you write, 'Followed by sugar with 14% of sodium', which creates confusion since sugar is a nutrient category, not a meal. Additionally, paragraphing could be managed more effectively to ensure a smoother flow of comparative information, which keeps the organisation at this specific intermediate level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrated an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'proportion', 'constituted', and 'over consumed'. You successfully used subject-specific vocabulary like 'sodium', 'saturated fats', and 'added sugars'. However, your lexical resource is limited by noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing. For instance, you wrote 'type of nutrients i.e sodium' with a singular noun following 'type of', and used verbs inappropriately such as 'Snacks contains' (plural subject with singular verb form) and 'Snacks cover the 43%'. These word-choice and word-form errors do not impede communication, but they prevent you from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising introductory clauses and relative structures. However, your control over grammar and punctuation shows frequent errors that place your response at this level. There are noticeable punctuation and article errors, such as missing articles ('followed by the lunch' should be 'followed by lunch'), incorrect capitalization ('Breakfast', 'Snacks'), and fragment sentences ('Followed by the 23% covered by dinner'). Furthermore, there are agreement issues, such as 'The pie charts compares' instead of 'compare'. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they recur frequently enough to demonstrate limited grammatical accuracy across more complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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