Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06
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)
The pie chart illustrates information about the average percentages in some meals, three type of substenance in some toxic food.
There are three toxic substenances are used in packaged food as well as in junk food, substenance such as sodium, saturated fat, added sugar that people consumes typical meals in the USA.
Breakfast uses minor part of sodium which is 14% and saturated fat and added sugar is 16% in brefast. For lunch 29% of sodium is used and there is used arround 26% and 19% . For dinner sodium is used in dominent level with 43% and this only cover major part of it. For snacks, the dominent portion that is used init. That is added sugar. This is used by 42% for it.
In all nutrients sodium is highly used substenance and after that added sugar which is lso used most and the less used substenance is saturated fat.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main parts of the task by identifying key trends and data points from the charts, such as noting that dinner has the highest percentages of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks dominate in added sugar. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive. Certain details are under-developed or imprecise, such as describing the nutrients as 'toxic food' or 'substense', and some comparisons are vague rather than fully supported with exact figures. To reach a higher level, the response would need to select and report the main features more rigorously, providing a clearer overview and fully extended comparisons of all three nutrients across the four meal times without relying on overly simplistic summaries.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response shows some basic organization, separating the introduction, body details, and a concluding summary into distinct paragraphs. However, there is no clear overall progression of ideas, and the logical flow is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used in a mechanical and inadequate manner, such as repeatedly using basic phrases like 'For lunch', 'For dinner', and 'For snacks' without smooth transitions. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion fails to guide the reader effectively through the data. To improve, the writer needs to employ a wider range of cohesive devices naturally and ensure that sentences follow a logical sequence that clearly contrasts the data points.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is limited and contains noticeable errors that cause difficulty for the reader. The student frequently misspells basic terms, such as 'substenance' (written as 'substense') and 'dominant' (written as 'dominent'), and uses inappropriate collocations like 'toxic food' and 'minor part of sodium'. The range of vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the task requirements, relying heavily on repetitive words like 'used', 'sodium', and 'sugar'. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire to include precise academic vocabulary for describing statistical data and eliminate spelling and word-choice errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The grammar demonstrates a limited range of structures, consisting mostly of simple sentences and basic attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions, such as 'three toxic substenances are used', 'people consumes typical meals', and 'is used arround 26% and 19%'. Punctuation and sentence construction are also weak, leading to awkward phrasing like 'that is used init. That is added sugar.' These frequent errors cause strain for the reader. To improve, the student should practice forming complex sentences accurately, paying close attention to verb tenses, singular and plural agreement, and the correct grammatical patterns for reporting data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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