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

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The bar chart illustrates the average percentage in typical meals in three types of nutrients, which one is may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Average percentage of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals consumed in the United States of America.

Overall, sodium shows 14% of snak and breakfast while lunch 29% and dinner shows highest percentage with figure of 49%.

Saturated fat shows snak 21% and breakfast fewer less percentage of breakfast and on other hands lunch shows 26% and dinner 37%, which is higher than lunch.

Meanwhile, added sugar shows highest number of percentages, snak 42%, breakfast 16%, lunch19 and dinner 23%.

overall, bar shows clear difference between these meals dinner had highest percentage followed by these meals sodium, saturated fad, and added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the three nutrients and report several relevant meal figures, including the 42% share of added sugar from snacks and the 37% saturated-fat figure for dinner. However, the overview is unclear and includes a significant data error: dinner accounts for 43% of sodium, not 49%. The final statement that dinner had the highest percentage across the meals is too broad, since snacks lead for added sugar. Some comparisons are also incomplete, such as saying breakfast has a lower saturated-fat percentage without giving its 16% figure. The response is 129 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail provided. Select the main highs and lows accurately, then compare all three nutrients in a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening, several nutrient-by-nutrient statements, and a concluding overview. Connectors such as “Overall” and “Meanwhile” help signal shifts between points. However, progression is difficult to follow because the overview is repeated and the final sentence combines categories in an unclear way (“followed by these meals sodium, saturated fad, and added sugar”). Some sentences also place several figures together without clear comparison, particularly the added-sugar sentence. Use one concise overview followed by logically grouped comparisons, and make each sentence’s subject explicit. This would give the information a clearer sequence and make the links between figures easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentage,” “highest,” and “followed by,” and the reader can generally identify the nutrients and meals being discussed. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings reduce precision: “snak” appears twice, “saturated fad” is incorrect, and “shows” is repeated for different data descriptions. Phrases such as “highest number of percentages” are also unnatural for reporting proportions. Choose accurate terms consistently, such as “share,” “proportion,” or “accounted for,” and check spelling before submitting. More precise vocabulary would help you describe comparisons without relying on repeated, general wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both simple statements and longer comparisons, but sentence structures are often incomplete or difficult to interpret. For example, “Overall, sodium shows 14% of snak and breakfast while lunch 29%” lacks a clear verb in the second clause, and “which one is may be unhealthy” contains an incorrect construction. Articles and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “dinner shows highest percentage with figure of 49%.” These errors sometimes make relationships between the figures unclear. Practise complete comparative sentences with a clear subject and verb—for example, “Dinner accounts for 43% of sodium, compared with 29% at lunch”—and use punctuation to separate distinct comparisons.

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

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