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 given pie charts illustrate the kinds of nutrients that are taken in crucial meals, which may be harmful if eaten excessively.

Overall, it shows that consumption of unhealthy nutrients is quite high, including sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar. Mainly, they are eaten during dinner, and consumption is lower during breakfast. Meanwhile, in mean times there concentrarion varries.

Starting from dinner, there is an increase in the concentration of nutrients from added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium accordingly. And lunch also has the same amount of nutrient consumption from added sugar to sodium.

Secondly, during lunchtime, the amount of sodium being in the diet is less as compared to saturated fat and progressively increases in added sugar by 5% from sodium and 3% from saturated fat. At breakfast, there is a relatively low amount of nutrients being consumed.

To put it in a nutshell, on average, consumption of nutrients is low during breakfast and is high during night meals. And supper has a vague percentage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the three nutrients and attempts an overview, noting that dinner is generally high and breakfast low. However, the overview is not consistently accurate: added sugar peaks in snacks at 42%, not dinner, and breakfast is not the lowest meal for every nutrient. Several comparisons are also unclear or incorrect. For example, the claim that lunch has “the same amount” across nutrients is unsupported: the figures are 19% for sugar, 26% for saturated fat and 29% for sodium. The statement that lunch sodium is less than saturated fat reverses the data. The response therefore reports only some key features, with limited accurate detail. Select the clearest contrasts and support them with correct figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to organise the report with an opening, an overview and later paragraphs focused on dinner and lunch. Sequencing phrases such as “Overall,” “Starting from dinner” and “Secondly” help signal movement between points. However, the progression is difficult to follow because ideas are repeated or conflict: dinner is described as the main meal for nutrients, while the final sentence refers vaguely to “night meals” and “supper.” The sentence “Meanwhile, in mean times there concentration varries” does not establish a clear comparison, and “And lunch also has the same amount” is not well connected to the preceding point. Use one paragraph for the overview and separate, logically ordered comparisons, with clear references to the meal and nutrient being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “sodium,” “saturated fat,” “added sugar,” “consumption” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to interpret. “Concentration” is not an appropriate substitute for the proportion of a nutrient in meals, while “vague percentage” does not communicate a measurable chart value. There are also spelling errors in “concentrarion” and “varries.” Aim for precise chart language and avoid expressions that do not describe the data. Repeating accurate terms such as “accounted for,” “proportion” and “highest share” would make comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including “which may be harmful if eaten excessively” and a comparison using “as compared to.” However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence construction and agreement sometimes obscure the intended meaning. In “Meanwhile, in mean times there concentrarion varries,” the subject and possessive form are unclear; “they are eaten during dinner” also uses an unclear pronoun reference. The sentence beginning “Starting from dinner” is awkwardly structured, and “And lunch also has the same amount” is an incomplete-feeling continuation. Practise building direct comparison sentences with a clear subject, such as “Dinner accounts for 43% of sodium intake, compared with 37% of saturated fat.” Check pronouns and sentence boundaries carefully.

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

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