Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The pie charts compares the average percentages of common meals that are usaually taken in daily life in USA have three types of nutrients includes sodium, saturated fat and added sugar all of them are unhealthy if eaten excessively.

Overall, dinner have share the largest proportion in sodium and saturated fat while breakfast have accounted for smallest proportion shared in all three types of nutrients. On the other side, snack have largest percentage shared in added sugar and lunch have relative stable meal after breakfast.

In detail, saturated fat in all meals have relative stable share compares to other nutrients in which breakfast have 16% while dinner have more than double percentage as compares to breakfast of 37%. Snack and lunch have saturated fat of 21% and 26% respectively. Moreover, sodium have 14% in snack but snack three times more in added sugar of 42%. Sodium have 43% in lunch and 29% in lunch and 14% in breakfast. Added sugar have 16 % and 19% in breakfast and lunch respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, and that snacks lead in added sugar. You also include several relevant figures, such as 16% for breakfast saturated fat and 42% for snack added sugar. However, coverage is partial because a key comparison is misreported: sodium is 43% at dinner and 29% at lunch, but you state that it is 43% in lunch and 29% in lunch. The overview also incorrectly says breakfast is the smallest for all three nutrients; for added sugar, breakfast is 16%, below lunch at 19% only slightly, but it is indeed the smallest. Clarify the comparisons and report the figures accurately, especially for sodium.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an opening, an overview and a detail paragraph, so there is some organisation, and the overview gives the reader a useful sense of the main patterns. However, progression is not consistently clear: the detail paragraph moves from saturated fat to sodium and then added sugar without a systematic comparison across meals or nutrients. Some linking phrases, such as “On the other side” and “Moreover,” do not clearly express the relationship between the points that follow. The repeated use of “have” also makes the writing feel mechanical. Grouping the figures by meal or by nutrient, and using clearer transitions such as “By contrast” or “Regarding added sugar,” would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “saturated fat” and “added sugar,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several phrases are inaccurate or awkward, such as “meals that are usually taken in daily life,” “largest percentage shared,” and “relative stable meal.” The spelling error “usaually” also reduces accuracy. Some repeated wording, particularly “have” and “share,” limits precision when describing the data. Aim for natural collocations used in chart reports, such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the highest proportion,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in the introduction and contrastive structures in the overview. However, control is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “The pie charts compares” has subject–verb disagreement, while “dinner have share” and “breakfast have accounted” show faulty verb forms. The sentence beginning “The pie charts compares…” also lacks a clear grammatical structure around the description of the nutrients. In the data paragraph, “Sodium have 43% in lunch and 29% in lunch” repeats the same meal and obscures the comparison. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and build shorter, complete sentences before adding complex clauses.

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