Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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

IELTS Writing

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The given charts illustrates information about average percentages of three types of nutrients in typical meals,all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

The average percantages of sodium saturated fat and added sugars in typical meals consumed in USA.

The average percentage of sodium a in breakfast is about 14% in lunch is almost 29% in every snack you find 14% and in dinner it is 43%,on the other hand amount of saturated fat iin breakfast is 16%,in snack is 21%,in lunch it is 26% and in dinner you find it almost 16%.

In comparison with sodium and saturated fat the average percentage of added sugar you find in typical meals is a liitle low except having unhealthy snacks,in breakfast it is 16%,in lunch it is 19%,in a snack you find it 42% and in dinner it is about 23%

All of these nutients can be unhealthy if eaten too much.A person should try to reduce their amount.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the three nutrients and report several relevant meal percentages, including sodium at 43% for dinner and added sugar at 42% for snacks. However, the response does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns, and one key figure is inaccurate: saturated fat at dinner is 37%, not “almost 16%.” The comparison that added sugar is generally “a little low” is also unclear and does not capture the strong contrast between its snack peak and the dinner peak for sodium and saturated fat. The final advice about reducing nutrient intake is not required for this chart task. The response is 143 words, seven words below the 150-word minimum; the 18 words copied from the prompt do not count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: the response begins with an introduction, then gives information about sodium and saturated fat, followed by added sugar and a concluding comment. This gives the reader a rough route through the answer. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the first two introductory statements repeat the task rather than presenting an overview, and the data are listed in changing meal orders. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” and “in comparison” are attempted, but the relationships they signal are not always clear. Grouping the main patterns first, then comparing the nutrients by meal, would make the information easier to follow and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant basic terms such as “average percentage,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and some word choices are imprecise: “you find” is used repeatedly instead of a neutral reporting verb, while “a little low” does not clearly describe the data. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “percantages,” “liitle,” and “nutients,” which weaken accuracy. Use concise chart language and check spelling carefully. For example, describe a figure as “accounts for” a share, and use “highest” or “lowest” when making a clear comparison.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to combine information in longer sentences, but control is limited and errors frequently make the data harder to read. For example, “The average percentage of sodium a in breakfast is about 14% in lunch is almost 29%” lacks clear sentence boundaries and grammatical links between the meal figures. The opening “charts illustrates” also has a subject–verb agreement error, and several clauses run together without appropriate punctuation. Most sentences follow a simple pattern, with little variety in structure. Separate the figures into complete sentences or use accurately punctuated comparisons, and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries before submitting.

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