Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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 Sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals and dinner, respectivly, consumed in the USA.

Overall, it is clearly shown that Sodium was consumed in the USA during their dinner, as well as Saturated fat. While, snack was mostly taken in the form of Added sugar.

In terms of Sodium, 43% was consumed during the dinner, which is by far the largest proportion occupied. Around 29% was recorded by lunch. Whereas, 14% was shared by both snack and breakfast.

Similarly, 37% of Saturated fat was occupied by dinner, this closely followed by such, at around 26%, and furthermore by snack accounted for 21%. In contrast, 16% was filled with breakfast.

Finally, snack occupied almost half of the proportion, at around 42%. in regards to Added sugar, the last figure was shown by breakfast, at around 16%. while, 19% and 23% were occupied with lunch

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest share of added sugar. Most figures are reported correctly, including sodium at 43% for dinner and 29% for lunch, and added sugar at 42% for snacks. However, the final sentence is incomplete: it gives lunch as 19% and dinner as 23% without clearly naming which figure belongs to each meal. The opening also mistakenly says “typical meals and dinner,” rather than simply describing the three nutrients across typical meals. The response is 141 words, below the required 150, which limits the development of the summary. Add a clear comparison of all three nutrients and complete the final detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar. This makes the information generally easy to follow. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward: “Whereas” begins a fragment, and “Similarly” does not clearly explain the relationship between the sodium and saturated-fat figures. The final paragraph also ends abruptly, leaving the lunch and dinner figures for added sugar insufficiently connected to their labels. Use complete sentences and make comparisons explicit—for example, state that dinner exceeds lunch for sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks lead for added sugar. This would strengthen progression and make the connections between details clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “recorded,” and “accounted for,” and the reader can understand the broad comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “Sodium was consumed … during their dinner,” “proportion occupied,” and “16% was filled with breakfast.” Nutrient percentages are better described as the share or proportion of each nutrient associated with a meal, rather than something a meal “occupies” or is “filled with.” There are also spelling and form issues, including “respectivly.” Aim for precise, consistent reporting language and avoid repeating “occupied” across the response. More natural collocations would make the data description clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentence forms, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation are frequent enough to make parts of the response awkward or unclear. The opening has a subject–verb agreement error: “The pie charts compares” should be “The pie charts compare.” “While, snack was mostly taken…” is an incorrectly punctuated fragment, and “Whereas, 14% was shared…” is also incomplete as written. In the final paragraph, “in regards to Added sugar” begins a sentence with faulty capitalisation, while “while, 19% and 23% were occupied with lunch” is incomplete and does not identify both meals. Use full clauses, check agreement, and punctuate sentence boundaries carefully. Clearer sentence patterns will help you report each figure accurately.

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