Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 chart depicts the proportion of three micronutrients sodium, saturated fats and added sugar in four meals of the day breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. The data is calibrated in percentage. overall, dinner contains the greatest amount of all three nutrients except snack time and breakfast has lowest proportion of all three nutrients.

it is clearly evident that, dinner accounted for the most proportion of sodium consumption around 43%. this figure continued to decrease in lunch at 29% whereas ,snack and breakfast at around 14%. 37% figure of dinner accounted for satuarted fats which slightly decrease in lunch , snack and breakfast of around 16-25%.

The highest number of sugar consumed was noted in snack time around 42%.whereas, this figure continued to decrease steeply in dinner at 23%. subsequently, reaches to 19% and 16% in lunch and breakfast which was the lowest percentage in the entired survey.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar, and you include several relevant figures. However, the overview says dinner has the greatest amount of all three nutrients, which conflicts with the snack figure for sugar. The saturated-fat comparison is also imprecise: the response gives a broad range for lunch, snacks and breakfast rather than reporting the chart’s distinct values (26%, 21% and 16%). The chart is otherwise addressed, but some key comparisons are unclear or incomplete. The response is three words below the required minimum, so add a little more accurate comparison and detail to meet the task requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by details about sodium and saturated fat, then added sugar. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the overview makes an inaccurate generalisation, and the body does not compare all meal categories in a systematic way. Linking expressions such as “whereas” and “subsequently” are attempted, but some are awkwardly placed or do not clearly connect the ideas. For example, the sugar sentence beginning “subsequently, reaches” has no clear subject. Use separate, balanced paragraphs for the overview and data, and group comparisons consistently by nutrient or meal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “figure,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “the data is calibrated in percentage,” “most proportion,” and “highest number of sugar consumed.” There are also spelling errors, including “satuarted” and “entired,” which reduce accuracy. Repetition of “figure” and “proportion” makes the description less precise. Build a small set of natural expressions for describing chart shares, such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the largest share,” and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “overall, dinner contains…” needs appropriate capitalisation, while “37% figure of dinner accounted for satuarted fats which slightly decrease…” lacks a clear grammatical connection and uses an inconsistent verb form. The final sentence, “subsequently, reaches to 19% and 16%,” is incomplete because it has no explicit subject. Punctuation is also unreliable, with spaces missing after full stops and commas. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use accurate past-tense reporting consistently, for example, “Dinner accounted for 37%, while lunch made up 26%.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.