Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-15

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 illustrates the percentage of three different types of typical meals such as sodium,saturated fat and added sugar,all of them are unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall,it can be seen that in USA the sodium and saturated fat are eaten too much in dinner. Another noticeable feature is that the added sugar has eaten in large amount of snacks.

To begin with,43% sodium has been eaten in dinner and 29 %in lunch with 14% in snacks and breakfast. Moving to the remaining information, the saturated fat should be eaten in dinner is approximately 37%. In lunch, 26% saturated fat has eaten in USA and 21% eaten in snacks and afterward 16% in breakfast.

Furthermore, the added sugar has been eaten in dinner which is approximately 23%.The 42% sugar eaten in snacks and 19% should be eaten in lunch.At the end. 16% sugar has been eaten in breakfast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report figures for all three nutrients and identify two important patterns: sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner, while added sugar is highest in snacks. Most figures are accurate, including sodium at 43% for dinner and added sugar at 42% for snacks. However, the overview says these nutrients are “eaten too much,” which is not what the chart establishes; it shows their shares across meals. Some descriptions also confuse reporting with advice, such as “should be eaten,” and the opening inaccurately calls the nutrients types of meals. The response is one word below the required minimum of 150. To strengthen the report, describe the chart precisely, compare the distributions directly, and include a little more relevant detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the data. This helps the reader locate the information, and transitions such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” signal movement between nutrients. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with repeated “Moving to” and “At the end,” and the comparisons between categories are not consistently made explicit. Punctuation spacing also makes some transitions abrupt, as in “23%.The 42%.” Grouping the figures more deliberately—for example, contrasting dinner’s high sodium and saturated-fat shares with snacks’ high added-sugar share—would create a clearer line of development and make the cohesion less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “percentage,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” “added sugar,” and “noticeable feature,” so the reader can generally understand which data are being discussed. However, the range of reporting language is limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural: “types of typical meals” mislabels the nutrients, while “has eaten in large amount of snacks” does not clearly express the chart’s proportions. Repeated use of “eaten” and “sugar” also makes the description less precise. Choose vocabulary that describes shares and comparisons rather than consumption or recommendations, and vary reporting verbs and nouns. This would improve clarity without requiring unnecessarily complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to combine information, such as “Overall, it can be seen that…” and “Moving to the remaining information…”. However, verb forms and sentence construction are frequently inaccurate. For example, “43% sodium has been eaten” uses an unsuitable passive construction, and “the saturated fat should be eaten in dinner is approximately 37%” is structurally confusing. Articles and prepositions are also inconsistent, as in “in USA” and “in dinner.” Several sentences are fragments or awkwardly joined, including “At the end. 16% sugar has been eaten in breakfast.” Practise clear comparison structures and accurate present-tense reporting, then check sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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