Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The provided pie charts descibes the average percentage in typical meals of three types of nutrients.
According to pie chart, the sodium consumed highest during dinner at 43%. Followed by this, lunch represent 29% of sodium while, breakfast and snack are at 14% each.
As can be seen by saturated fat chart, it is topped at dinner while lunch accounts for 26%. After that the other significant portion is covered by snack and breakfast at 21% and 16% respectively. the breakfast is represented almost half of dinner.
Also, in third pie chart the most of the portion is covered by snack by 42% which is less than twice of dinner. The lunch is respresented at 19% and breakfast accounts for 16%.
Therefore, at dinner saturated fat and sodium is taken the most while, added sugar is consumed most at snack. However, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar are consumed less at breakfast.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response is 6 words short of the 150-word minimum, which is explicitly noted here as required. You have attempted to cover all parts of the prompt by describing the three pie charts regarding sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar. However, some aspects of your response are under-developed or inaccurately reported. For example, you state that the breakfast portion for saturated fat is 'almost half of dinner' (16% compared to 37%, which is less than half), and your comparison for added sugar ('less than twice of dinner' for snack) is slightly confusing. To reach a higher band, you need to ensure all figures are reported accurately without slight misinterpretations of proportions, and you must comfortably exceed the minimum word count.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
Your response has a recognizable structure with an introductory sentence and body paragraphs dedicated to each chart, followed by a concluding summary. However, overall progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and mechanical cohesive devices, such as 'According to pie chart', 'As can be seen by saturated fat chart', and 'Also, in third pie chart'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance when you use 'it' without a clear antecedent in phrases like 'it is topped at dinner'. Paragraphing is attempted, but individual sentences lack smooth logical transitions. To improve Coherence and Cohesion, you should vary your transitional phrases and ensure that ideas flow naturally from one sentence to the next without relying on formulaic transitions.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate vocabulary to accomplish the basic task, using terms such as 'average percentage', 'significant portion', and 'consumed'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling errors that affect precision, such as 'descibes' instead of 'describes', 'represent' instead of 'represents', and 'respresented' instead of 'represented'. Your choice of phrasing is sometimes unnatural, such as 'sodium consumed highest' instead of 'sodium consumption was highest'. While you attempt some less common vocabulary, the persistent word choice and spelling errors mean your lexical range remains limited. To achieve a higher band, focus on accurate word forms and spelling, and try to incorporate a wider variety of precise reporting verbs and adjectives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Your grammar is characterized by a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic active forms. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing prepositions and articles ('According to pie chart', 'in third pie chart'), subject-verb agreement issues ('lunch represent'), and awkward passive constructions ('the breakfast is represented almost half'). Additionally, the error in 'at dinner saturated fat and sodium is taken the most' demonstrates a lack of control over singular and plural verb agreement with compound subjects. These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally pause and decode your meaning. To improve, you need to broaden your grammatical range by incorporating more complex sentence structures while strictly monitoring basic agreement and article use.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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