Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 4.5)

THE PIE CHART INDICATES, AVERAGE PERCENTAGES OF SODIUM, STURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR IN MEALS WHICH ARE CONSUMED DURING THE WHOLE DAY. CHARTS SHOW FOUR MEALS THAT IS BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER AND SNACKS.

FOR BREAKFAST NUTRIENTS OTHER THAN SODIUM IS HIGHER BY 2 PERCENT, HOWEVER IN LUNCH SODIUM IS MUCH MORE THAN OTHER TWO. ADDED SUGAR IS SHOWN AS 19 PERCENT AND AND SATURATED FATS ARE 26 PERCENT BUT SODIUM TOPS WITH 29 PECRENT IN LUNCH MEALS.

SIMILARLY WITH DINNER ALSO THIS RATIO SEEMS AS LUNCH, IN WHICH SODIUM LEVEL ARE HIGER THAN SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR. IT IS CLEARLY VISIBLE TAHT ADDED SUGAR IN SNACKS ARE IN MUCH HIGER

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the three nutrients and meal categories, and correctly report several figures, including lunch sodium at 29% and saturated fat at 26%. However, the response only partially summarises the charts: it gives no clear overall overview, omits key comparisons such as dinner being highest for sodium and saturated fat, and does not complete the point about added sugar in snacks, which is the largest figure at 42%. The breakfast comparison is also unclear, and the dinner statement incorrectly says sodium is higher than the other nutrients; added sugar is 23%, below sodium at 43% and saturated fat at 37%. The response is 111 words, below the required 150, leaving important features undeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: the response moves from breakfast to lunch and then dinner and snacks, with paragraph breaks separating parts of the description. Linking expressions such as “however” and “similarly” show an attempt to connect comparisons. Nevertheless, the progression is incomplete and difficult to follow because the final sentence stops before stating the snack figure or completing the comparison. The opening repeats the task rather than giving a concise overview, and references such as “this ratio” do not clearly identify what is being compared. Organise the report into an overview followed by grouped comparisons, and use explicit references to the nutrient and meal in each sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations make the meaning unclear, as in “this ratio seems as lunch” and “nutrients other than sodium is higher by 2 percent.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “sturated,” “pecrent,” “higer,” and “taht,” which reduce the accuracy and polish of the report. Use precise comparison language such as “accounted for,” “was higher than,” and “the largest share,” and check spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to form comparisons and longer sentences, but grammatical control is inconsistent and the sentence patterns are mostly limited. For example, “Charts show four meals that is breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks” has faulty agreement and an awkward clause structure; “sodium level are higher” also has subject–verb disagreement. The opening sentence lacks a clear grammatical connection between “indicates” and the information that follows, while the final sentence is incomplete. These errors sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to understand. Practise accurate simple comparison sentences first, then combine them with clauses using “while” or “whereas”; also check agreement, articles, and sentence completion.

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