Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The chart illustrates the percentage of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar in typical meals, all of which may be unhealthy if take into a large amount.
Overall, it is clear that people of USA take a large amount sodium and saturated fat in dinner while their snacks contain a large amount of added sugar.
They take 14% sodium and 16% saturated fat, and sugar in their breakfast. Their snacks contain 14% sodium, 21% saturated fat, and 42% added sugar. In their lunch, rich amount of sodium that is 29%, 26% saturated fat, and 19% sugar are added. Dinner contains a large amount of sodium and saturated fat. They take 43% sodium and 37% saturated fat. 23% sugar is added in their dinner.
It is noted that the same amount of sodium is present in their breakfast. They eat a large amount of sodium in the dinner meal as compared to other nutrients.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks have the highest added sugar (42%). Most figures you report also match the chart, including the breakfast and lunch values. However, the overview is incomplete: it does not clearly compare all three nutrients across meals, and the final claim that dinner contains “a large amount of sodium” compared with other nutrients is not a useful chart comparison. The sentence about breakfast’s “same amount of sodium” is unclear, although breakfast and snacks both show 14%. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the contrasting peaks and lows, then select the most meaningful comparisons rather than repeating figures without explaining their significance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overall statement, and details about breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. This gives the reader some organisation, and meal names help signal the topic of each detail. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The meal information is presented in an uneven order, and the final sentence repeats the point about dinner rather than adding a new comparison. Connections between ideas are also limited; for example, “It is noted that” does not clarify how the breakfast observation relates to the preceding details. Grouping the figures into a clear overview followed by logically ordered comparisons, and using linking phrases to show contrasts, would make the report easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “sodium,” “saturated fat,” “added sugar,” and “percentage,” so the reader can understand the subject. However, the range of reporting language is limited, with repeated use of “large amount” and “contain.” Some word combinations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “take a large amount sodium,” “rich amount of sodium,” and “23% sugar is added.” These choices sometimes make the meaning less fluent, even though the figures remain understandable. Use more precise chart language, such as “accounted for,” “represented,” “share,” and “highest proportion,” and vary the verbs used to describe the data. Also distinguish between a percentage share and an amount consumed.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response relies mainly on simple statements, with a few attempts to combine information, such as “Overall, it is clear that…” and “They take 43% sodium and 37% saturated fat.” This limited range, together with recurring errors, places the writing at this level. Examples include “people of USA take” and “take a large amount sodium,” where articles and grammatical structure are missing, and “all of which may be unhealthy if take into a large amount,” which lacks a clear subject and correct passive construction. The sentence “They take 14% sodium and 16% saturated fat, and sugar in their breakfast” is also incomplete in its final part. Practise accurate comparative and reporting sentence patterns, checking articles, prepositions and complete clauses.
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