Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-22

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 4.0)

The pie charts illustrate the percentages of three three nutrients, all of which can be unhealthy it consumed too much.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat are consumed mostly through dinner, while suger is widely added to snack items.

In dinner, sodium and saturated fat accounts for 43% and 37% respectively

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies two important patterns: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the highest proportion of added sugar. The figures given for dinner, 43% and 37%, are accurate. However, the report is far too incomplete to summarise the charts: it gives no figures for added sugar and omits the breakfast, lunch and snack comparisons for sodium and saturated fat. The overview also calls sugar “widely added to snack items,” which is less precise than reporting its 42% share. The response contains only 50 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 150. To improve, include a fuller overview and select key figures across all three nutrients and meal types.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic, understandable structure: an opening sentence, an overview introduced by “Overall,” and a final sentence with supporting figures. This gives the reader a simple progression from the charts to a specific comparison. However, the response ends abruptly after the dinner figures, so the information is not developed into a complete report and there is little comparison between meal types. The final sentence is also not fully integrated with the overview, as it provides only two figures and no follow-up contrast. Develop the body into logically ordered comparisons—for example, discuss sodium and saturated fat together, then contrast their patterns with added sugar—and use linking phrases to make those relationships clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart-reporting vocabulary, including “percentages,” “consumed,” “Overall,” and “respectively.” These choices help communicate the general subject and the two dinner figures. However, the range is very limited, partly because the report is so short, and some wording is imprecise or inaccurate: “suger” is misspelled, and “widely added to snack items” does not clearly describe the chart’s share of added sugar consumed in snacks. “Three three nutrients” is also an unnecessary repetition. Use precise terms such as “accounted for,” “proportion,” and “highest share,” and vary language for comparing meal categories. Check spelling and avoid repeating words when introducing the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a few simple sentence patterns and an attempt at a more complex clause in “all of which can be unhealthy it consumed too much.” The meaning is partly recoverable, but the clause is not grammatically complete; it needs a construction such as “if consumed in excess.” There is also a subject–verb agreement error in “sodium and saturated fat accounts,” where the plural subject requires “account.” The opening sentence has a repeated “three,” and the final sentence is a fragment because it lacks a full reporting verb structure. These errors are noticeable in this short response. Practise accurate conditional clauses, agreement, and complete sentences, then combine simple and complex forms to report comparisons.

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