Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 chart compares the average percentages of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much such as sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat contribute a noticeable high proportion in dinner, while added sugar contributes more in snack. Snack is a dominating meal in terms of added sugar, whereas, dinner is more highlighting meal in terms of both sodium and saturated fat nutrients.

In detail, sodium accounts highest proportion about 43% in dinner, while in snack and breakfast meal it contributes to approximately 14%. Also, In lunch, it accounts for average 29% proportion. However, saturated fat contributes highly 37% in dinner, the least proportion of 16% in breakfast, also 21% in snack and 26% in lunch. Moreover, added sugar allocates its high proportion of 42% in snack, least contribution 16% in breakfast, whereas, 23% in dinner and 19% in lunch.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you report are accurate, including sodium at 43% for dinner and added sugar at 42% for snacks, and you cover all three nutrients and meal types. However, the response contains 130 words, below the required 150; 28 words copied from the task prompt are excluded from that count. This limits how fully you can develop the comparisons. For example, you could explicitly compare the dinner and snack patterns across all three nutrients, rather than mainly listing individual percentages. The task is addressed, but some features remain underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a detail paragraph. The overview helps the reader identify the main pattern before the figures are presented, and connectors such as “while,” “also,” and “moreover” signal relationships between points. However, the progression within the detail paragraph is somewhat list-like, moving from one nutrient to another without consistently drawing comparisons across meals. Some linking is also awkward or mechanical, as in “However” before the saturated-fat figures, where no clear contrast with the preceding sodium data is established. Improve cohesion by grouping comparable meal patterns together and using precise references, so the reader can follow how the three nutrients differ without relying on repeated lists.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “contributes,” and “accounts,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is also an attempt to vary wording when describing the figures. However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise, such as “a noticeable high proportion,” “a dominating meal,” “more highlighting meal,” and “allocates its high proportion.” These expressions make the report less fluent and sometimes obscure the intended comparison. Prefer standard collocations for describing chart data, such as “the highest share,” “accounts for,” and “the largest proportion is found in.” The range is adequate for this task, but more accurate and natural phrasing would make the comparisons clearer and reduce repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including clauses linked with “while” and “whereas,” and the main figures remain understandable. However, some grammatical errors and punctuation problems are present. For example, “sodium accounts highest proportion” needs an article and a preposition (“accounts for the highest proportion”), while “in snack and breakfast meal” has problems with articles and number. Capitalisation is inconsistent in “Also, In lunch,” and commas are misplaced in several sentences, particularly around “whereas.” These issues do not usually prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy. Practise building comparisons with reliable patterns such as “X accounts for…, compared with…” and check articles, plural forms, and punctuation when editing.

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

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