Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09
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 provide information about three types of nutrients (Sodium, Saturated fat and Added sugar), which are harmful if eaten in large amount but is added in regular meal in the United States of America.
Overall, the largest amount of sodium and saturated fats are added in dinner, which is the least in breakfast. Meanwhile, snack is found to be responsible for the higher sugar consumption in the USA.
Talking about sodium, dinner is believed to be the main source of sodium with around 43%, while only 14% from snack and breakfast and 29% from lunch.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the charts’ subject and give a useful overview: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you report for sodium (43%, 29%, and 14% for breakfast and snacks) match the chart. However, the response stops after discussing sodium, so it omits the specific saturated-fat and added-sugar distributions and offers only a partial account of the data. The overview also says dinner is “the least in breakfast,” which is unclear and does not accurately describe the comparison. The response is 97 words, below the required 150. To develop the report, include the key figures for all three nutrients and compare their meal patterns clearly.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview beginning “Overall,” and a detail paragraph introduced by “Talking about sodium.” This gives the reader a basic progression from general features to one specific chart. The linking words “Meanwhile” and “while” also help signal contrast. However, the report ends abruptly after the sodium figures, with no corresponding discussion of the other nutrients, so the progression is incomplete. The phrase “which is the least in breakfast” makes the overview’s comparison difficult to follow, and the spacing before “breakfast” is distracting. Develop a separate detail paragraph covering saturated fat and added sugar, and use clear comparisons to connect the information.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “nutrients,” “main source,” “consumption,” and “responsible for,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts to vary expression rather than simply repeat chart labels. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “added in dinner” does not clearly express the proportion consumed at dinner, and “the least in breakfast” is not a natural way to describe the lowest share. “Harmful if eaten in large amount” also needs more precise phrasing for a formal report. Aim for accurate chart language such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the lowest proportion,” while retaining the chart’s nutrient names consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “while only 14%...” and the overview sentence beginning “Overall.” The main information remains understandable, but some grammatical errors reduce accuracy. In the opening, “which are harmful ... but is added” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an unclear pronoun reference; “in large amount” also lacks plural agreement. The phrase “the largest amount ... are added” mismatches singular and plural forms, while “which is the least in breakfast” is structurally unclear. The final sentence is also incomplete in its comparison: “only 14% from snack and breakfast” needs a verb or a clearer construction. Check agreement and build complete, parallel comparisons.
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