Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-17

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 4.0)

The charts illustrate the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, it is noticeable that dominent portion is nutrient that tells about the percentage of sodium,saturated fat and added sugar in different meals.

Must take 14 percent sugar 16 percent saturated fat and 16 percent added sugar in break fast. Take 29 percent sugar 26 percent saturated fat and 19 percent added sugar in lunch. Furthermore 43 percent sugar 37 percent saturated fat and 23 percent added sugar in lunch. However, 14 percent sugar 21 percent saturated fat and 42 percent added sugar in snaks.

In conclusion, Dont get more nutrients meals. These nutrients was unhealthy if eat in too much quality

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the three nutrients and report several meal percentages, so the response is recognisably about the charts. However, the figures are repeatedly assigned to the wrong nutrient: for example, breakfast’s 14% is sodium, not sugar, and dinner’s 43% is also sodium. The overview does not state the main patterns; it instead says the “dominent portion” is a nutrient, which is unclear. A useful overview would note that dinner has the highest sodium and saturated-fat shares, while snacks have the highest added-sugar share. The response also contains only 105 words, below the required 150, and the 21 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add accurate comparisons and enough chart-based detail to cover the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response into an opening, an overview, a data paragraph and a conclusion. The meal-by-meal sequence also gives the reader some structure. However, progression is weakened because the overview does not clearly preview the main features, and the data paragraph is a list of figures rather than connected comparisons. “Furthermore” introduces dinner even though the preceding sentence already lists lunch, while “However” does not express a clear contrast. The conclusion repeats a general warning rather than summarising the chart. Use a clear overview followed by grouped comparisons, and make each linking word show the relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “nutrients,” “saturated fat” and “added sugar,” which helps establish the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the meaning less clear. “Dominent portion” is not an appropriate way to describe the chart’s main pattern, and “quality” is used where “quantity” is intended. There are also forms such as “break fast” and “snaks,” and “sugar” is repeatedly used instead of “sodium,” confusing the data. Aim for precise terms such as “proportion,” “accounted for” and “share,” and check spelling and nutrient names carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most of the response consists of short, simple statements or fragments, so there is little evidence of a range of sentence structures. For example, “Must take 14 percent…” has no clear subject, and “Dont get more nutrients meals” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. The final sentence, “These nutrients was unhealthy if eat in too much quality,” has problems with agreement and clause structure that make the intended meaning difficult to follow. The opening sentence is more controlled, but the response needs more complete sentences and accurate verb forms. Practise describing figures with patterns such as “Sodium accounted for 14% of breakfast” and “The share was highest at dinner.”

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

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