Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

These three pie Charts illustrate the proportion in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, Dinner accounted for the highest consumption of Sodium and Saturated fat, except in the case of added sugar, where snacks led more consumption. In contrast, Consumption of Sodium and Saturated fat, and added sugar increased linearly in snacks, respectively. Whereas consumption in lunch declined steadily.

However, breakfast retained almost the same proportion among all three types of nutrients, with slightly decline in the sodium case.

Dinner consumed Sodium and Saturated Fat at the rate of 43% and 37%, respectively, and fell to 23% in the case of added sugar. While snacks consumed 14% sodium, 21% Saturated fat, and 42% added sugar, which shows the increasing rate of consumption.

Breakfast consumed 14% sodium; on the other hand, it consumed the same amount of saturated fat and added sugar, at 16%. Whereas lunch's consumption trends declined linearly from 29% consumption of sodium, falling to 26% of Saturated Fat and then 19% of Added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you give for dinner, snacks, breakfast and lunch match the chart, and you make relevant comparisons across all three nutrients. However, the overview is not fully clear: the claim that sodium, saturated fat and added sugar “increased linearly in snacks” is confusing, since the chart compares meal categories rather than a sequence, and the statement that lunch “declined steadily” could be expressed more precisely as a comparison between nutrient shares. The response covers the task, but some key observations are less clearly explained than others. State the overall contrasts directly and avoid describing the categories as trends over time.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs reporting the figures. The reader can generally follow the comparisons, and the final paragraph groups breakfast and lunch data together. However, progression is weakened by the overview’s unclear sequence of claims and by connectors that do not show the intended relationship. For example, “In contrast” and “Whereas” are used in fragments, while “respectively” does not clearly connect the three nutrients to the snack figures. The paragraph beginning “Dinner consumed…” also repeats information already given in the overview. Organise the overview around the two main contrasts, then use the body paragraphs to support them without repeating the same point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “consumption” and “respectively,” and the nutrient names are generally clear. There is enough range to describe the data, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a chart report. “Dinner consumed Sodium” makes the meal sound like the consumer; “increased linearly” suggests a time-based trend that the chart does not show; and “retained almost the same proportion” is awkward when comparing separate nutrient shares. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, as in “pie Charts” and “Saturated Fat.” Choose precise reporting language such as “the share of sodium was highest at dinner” and use consistent lower-case terms for meal names and nutrients.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including clauses introduced by “where” and “while,” and most of the data remains understandable. Some sentence-boundary and clause-structure errors, however, make parts of the response less controlled. “Whereas consumption in lunch declined steadily” is a fragment, as is “Whereas lunch’s consumption trends declined…”; these clauses need to be joined to a complete sentence. The sentence beginning “While snacks consumed…” also lacks a clear main clause. There are additional issues with articles and phrasing, such as “with slightly decline.” Build complete sentences around contrast clauses, and check that each sentence has a clear subject and finite verb.

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