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 charts below compare the average proportion in common meals of three categories of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if consumed in excessive amounts.

Overall, in the USA, sodium is consumed at a large proportion in dinner as compared to saturated fat and sugar.

The usage of sodium in dinner is double as compared to the consumption of sugar in the USA. However, there is a minimal difference in the percentages of nutrients used in typical meals for breakfast and lunch. Furthermore, 29% of sodium is utilized in lunch, however snack and breakfast indicated a same figure. Saturated fat is used more in dinner and lunch than sugar. Percentage of people is same who use fats and sugar in their meals in breakfast.

Moreover, a high amount of sugar is used in snacks than compared to saturated fat. Lastly, the percentages of saturated fats in lunch showed a minimal increase than sugar, that is 26%, whereas 19% of sugar is used in lunch.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several relevant patterns, including dinner as the largest contributor to sodium and saturated fat, and snacks as the largest source of added sugar. The figures you give for sodium at lunch and for lunch-time saturated fat and sugar are accurate. However, the overview is unclear and includes a misleading comparison: dinner’s sodium share (43%) is not double the added-sugar share in dinner (23%). The claim that there is a “minimal difference” in breakfast and lunch also needs clarification, since the meal patterns differ by nutrient. You could strengthen the report by stating the main contrasts directly: dinner leads for sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. Some categories are reported more fully than others, and the comparison of breakfast is not clearly expressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure, beginning with an introduction and then describing selected comparisons. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview is followed by several separate claims without a clear grouping of the three nutrients or meal types. “However” does not introduce a clear contrast in its sentence, and “Moreover” and “Lastly” make the sequence feel list-like. Some references, such as “the same figure” and “a minimal difference,” are difficult to interpret. Organise the details into a logical sequence—for example, first compare dinner and lunch for sodium and saturated fat, then contrast the snack pattern for sugar—and use linking words only where the relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “categories of nutrients,” “consumed,” and “percentages,” so the topic is generally clear. There are also attempts to vary wording rather than repeat the chart labels. However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing chart data: “sodium is consumed at a large proportion,” “usage of sodium,” and “nutrients used” do not express the shares of meals naturally. “Percentage of people” is inaccurate because the chart shows percentages of nutrients, not people. Repeated use of “used” and “utilized” also limits precision. Prefer standard reporting language such as “accounted for,” “made up,” or “the proportion of sodium in dinner,” and use “share” or “percentage” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons introduced by “as compared to” and clauses linked with “however.” Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but some grammatical patterns are not controlled consistently. For example, “a same figure” needs an article and determiner adjustment, while “Percentage of people is same” has problems with the article and sentence structure. The sentence beginning “The usage of sodium in dinner is double…” also leaves the comparison unclear. Punctuation around “however” is sometimes awkward, and several sentences rely on similar structures. Practise forming clear comparative sentences with accurate articles and agreement, such as “The dinner share for sodium was almost twice the share for added sugar.”

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