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 chart illustrates the average percentages of three types of nutrients in some significant foods in the USA, which may be not good for health if had too much.

There are three types of nutrients which are sodium, satured fats and added sugars. First, sodium accounts for 43% in dinner, 29% in lunch and accounting same percentages as 14% in snack and breakfast. Second, dinner has the most saturated fat which is 37%. Meanwhile, lunch accounts for 26%, snack is 21% and breakfast is 16%. Lastly, for added sugar, snack accounts for 42%, dinner,lunch and breakfast accounts for 23%, 19% and 16%.

It shows that dinner and lunch has sodium and saturated fat the most.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all three nutrients and report most of the key figures accurately, including dinner as the largest source of sodium and saturated fat, and snacks as the largest source of added sugar. However, the overview is too limited: “dinner and lunch has sodium and saturated fat the most” does not clearly summarise the contrasting pattern for added sugar, and it overstates lunch as a leading meal without comparing it with snacks. The response also contains only 115 words, below the required 150, so the report is underdeveloped and offers little comparison beyond listing figures. Add a clear overview of the main contrasts, then explain how meal contributions differ across all three nutrients.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, a paragraph listing the nutrient figures, and a concluding statement. Sequencing with “First,” “Second,” and “Lastly” helps readers follow the categories. However, the report does not develop a clear progression from an overview to supporting comparisons; the final sentence largely repeats an earlier point and does not bring the added-sugar pattern into the summary. Some links are also awkward, such as “Meanwhile” introducing a list rather than a contrast. Grouping the meals or comparing the nutrients directly, with clearer transitions such as “By contrast” for the snack sugar figure, would make the organisation more coherent and less list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “nutrients,” and the names of the three categories, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “some significant foods” does not describe the chart’s meal categories, while “may be not good for health if had too much” is an awkward paraphrase of the health warning. “Satured” is also misspelled, and “accounts” is repeated frequently. Use precise terms such as “meals” or “meal types,” and vary reporting language with “makes up,” “represents,” or “contributes.” Check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most of the report uses short, simple statements, and the figures can generally be understood. However, the range of sentence structures is narrow, and recurring errors affect accuracy. For example, “dinner and lunch has” has a subject–verb agreement error; “dinner,lunch and breakfast accounts” also needs plural agreement and clearer punctuation. The phrase “which may be not good for health if had too much” is grammatically incomplete, and “43% in dinner” uses an awkward grammatical pattern for describing a meal’s share. Practise accurate comparative sentences and clauses, while checking agreement, articles, and comma spacing. A wider range of correctly controlled structures would make the report clearer.

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