Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 three pie charts illustrates information about the three different kinds of food ingredients percentage in our regular meals which may causes health problems if eaten too much.

Overall, we have three Ingredients having their own charts which are covering four different kinds of meals which we usually take . All the three pie charts are providing stats about the percentages of that very specific ingredients which used in our meals.

Moreover, the sodium ingredient had a great percentage of dinner meal which is about 43% ,while snack and breakfast portions contain 14% of the total chart and the remaining 29% of the chart covers by the lunch. In contrast, the ingredient named added sugar holds 42% of snacks with 23% of dinner. The lunch is having 19% of the whole chart with the 16% of breakfast.

Furthermore, the saturated fat contains 37% dinner portion with 16% of breakfast. On the other hand, snacks and lunch covers 21% and 26% of the chart respectively,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main categories and report most of the figures accurately, including dinner as the largest share of sodium and saturated fat, and snacks as the largest share of added sugar. However, the response only partly fulfils the summary task because the overview is vague and largely repeats that the charts show percentages, rather than clearly comparing the overall patterns. A useful overview would state that dinner is the main source of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contribute the most added sugar. The final sentence also ends without a concluding comparison, and the figures are mostly listed rather than selected and interpreted. These limitations leave the key features under-developed, despite generally accurate data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, progression is limited: the second paragraph repeats general information about the charts instead of presenting a concise overview, and the body paragraphs list figures without a clear comparative framework. Linking phrases such as “Moreover,” “In contrast,” and “Furthermore” are used, but some feel mechanical or do not establish a strong relationship between the points. The final sentence is also left unfinished, which weakens the sense of closure. Grouping the main comparisons more deliberately and using transitions to show similarities and contrasts would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “portions,” “charts,” and “in contrast,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “three different kinds of food ingredients percentage,” “the ingredient named added sugar,” and “the chart covers by the lunch.” Repetition of “chart,” “percentage,” and “meal” also makes the description less precise. In this task, terms such as “share,” “proportion,” and “account for” would help describe the data more naturally. Take care to choose accurate collocations and avoid treating the nutrients as ingredients when the chart reports their proportions in meals.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “On the other hand,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in basic agreement and verb forms: “The three pie charts illustrates” should be “illustrate,” and “which may causes” should be “which may cause.” Other faulty constructions include “the remaining 29% of the chart covers by the lunch” and “the saturated fat contains 37% dinner portion.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also uneven, with extra spaces and commas placed awkwardly. These errors sometimes make relationships between the figures harder to understand. Practise building accurate simple comparison sentences first, then extend them with subordinate clauses while checking agreement and verb patterns.

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