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 depict the average percentages in snack, dinner, breakfast and lunch of three types of nutrients (sodium, saturated fat and addedsugar), all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, the sodium and saturated fat are unhealthy nutrients if eaten too much in snacks and breakfast, while people should avoid eating food containing too much added sugar in their breakfast.

Looking first at the sodium which should be approx 43% in dinner, and should be around 14% in snacks and breakfasts followed by 29% in lunch. Turning to the saturated fat which should be around less than 37% in dinner and 26% in lunch. In addition, the saturated fat should be less than 21% and 16% in snacks and breakfast.

Regarding the added sugar which should be less than 42% in snacks, and 23% in dinner. Apart from this during lunch and breackfats the figure of the added sugar should be less than 16% and 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify all three nutrients and report several relevant figures, including sodium at 43% for dinner and added sugar at 42% for snacks. However, the response only partially summarises the charts: it gives no clear overview of the main contrasts, and the overview instead makes unsupported recommendations about what people should avoid. Several figures are also inaccurate or unclear. For example, saturated fat is exactly 37% at dinner, not “less than 37%,” and added sugar is 19% at lunch and 16% at breakfast, but these are reversed in your final sentence. Focus on describing the data rather than advising readers, and highlight the key pattern: dinner leads for sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the nutrient figures. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “Looking first,” “Turning to,” and “Regarding” help signal movement between topics. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and the overview does not effectively prepare the reader for the comparisons that follow. Some connections are also unclear, particularly “Apart from this during lunch and breackfats,” where the relationship between the two figures is difficult to follow. Grouping the data around the main contrasts—dinner versus snacks, for example—would create a clearer progression and reduce the repeated nutrient-by-nutrient phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentages,” “nutrients,” and the meal names, so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural. Repeating “should” makes the description sound like advice rather than a report, while “less than” is not appropriate when giving the exact chart values. “Addedsugar” is incorrectly joined, and “breackfats” is misspelled; these errors reduce precision. The phrase “in snacks and breakfasts” is also less natural than “in snacks and at breakfast.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and comparison language, such as “accounted for,” “was highest,” and “compared with,” while checking spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some longer sentence forms, such as “The pie charts depict …, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much,” and use sequencing clauses to organise the report. However, sentence structures are limited overall, and several grammatical choices make the data descriptions awkward. For example, “the sodium which should be approx 43% in dinner” lacks a clear main verb, and “the saturated fat should be around less than 37%” combines incompatible constructions. The repeated use of “should” also creates an unintended recommendation rather than a factual description. Use direct forms such as “Sodium accounted for 43% of dinner” and “The figure for saturated fat was 37% at dinner.” More consistently controlled sentence patterns would improve clarity.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.