Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18

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 charts below represent the proportion of nutrients which becomes unhealthy if taken too much in three meals.

Overall, it is crystal clear that sodium consumption in dinner is the heighest whereas the same nutrient is least eaten during snack and breakfast.

Taking a quick glance, it is crystal clear that, the proportion of sodium was highly taken during dinner. Followed by which added sugar is the second heighest which is consumed during snack. Whereas there is a slight difference of only 3% in the consumption of sodium and saturated fat in lunch. However, the percentage of saturated fat is 21% and in added sugar is 19% in the case of snack and lunch respectively.

Moving further to the rest of the information,the proportion of saturated fat in dinner is 37% and in added sugar is 23%. Interestingly, proportion of sodium in snack and breakfast is equal that is 14% and also the same trend followed in the case of saturated fat and added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important features accurately: dinner has the highest sodium share at 43%, snacks have the highest added-sugar share at 42%, and sodium is lowest at breakfast and snacks, both 14%. You also report the dinner figures for saturated fat and added sugar correctly. However, coverage is partial and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. The claim that sodium and saturated fat differ by only 3% at lunch is incorrect: they are 29% and 26%, a difference of 3 percentage points, but the wording “consumption ... in lunch” does not make the comparison precise. More importantly, you say the same trend applies to saturated fat and added sugar for breakfast and snacks, although their values are not equal. Include a clearer overview of the contrasting meal patterns and report the key figures consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an opening, an overview, and two body paragraphs, so there is some organisation and the reader can identify the main topic. However, progression is limited because the second paragraph repeats the overview’s point that dinner has the highest sodium share. Phrases such as “Taking a quick glance” and “Moving further” do not establish clear comparisons, while “Followed by which” leaves the relationship between the figures awkward. The final sentence also combines several claims without explaining which nutrient or meals are being compared. Group the information by clear patterns—for example, dinner’s high sodium and saturated fat shares versus snacks’ high added sugar—and use linking language only where it clarifies those relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “consumption,” and “percentage,” and the nutrient names are generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes some comparisons difficult to interpret. “Heighest” is misspelled, and “highly taken” is not a natural way to describe a chart share. “The same nutrient is least eaten” also suggests food intake rather than the percentage of a nutrient in meals. Repeated phrases such as “it is crystal clear” add little precision. Aim for concise, accurate reporting language such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “was the largest share,” and distinguish a percentage-point difference from a general difference.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some complex sentence forms, including “whereas” and “which,” and most of the intended meaning can be followed. However, control is uneven, with several sentence-boundary and clause-structure problems. “Followed by which added sugar is the second heighest” is not a complete, well-formed clause, and “Whereas there is a slight difference...” is left as a fragment. The opening phrase “in three meals” does not fit the chart’s four meal categories, and the final sentence’s “the same trend followed” has an unclear grammatical relationship to its subject. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly the comma after “crystal clear” and the missing space after “information,”. Use complete sentences with explicit subjects and check that each comparison is grammatically attached to the figures it describes.

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