Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-24
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 compare average percentages in typical meal of three types of Sodium, Saturated fat and Added sugar nutrients, which may be unhealthy if eaten too much in USA.
According to given data, Sodium used gradually increased as compared to other two nutrients in dinner and reached at 43%. Moreover, staurated fat used only 37% and addes sugar used only 23% in dinner.
On the one hand, Added sugar are used most among the sodium and saturated fat around 42% in snack. In contrast, snack is subsequencly declind by 14% and 21% used by saturated fat which consume by US people in snack. In addition, Sodium, saturated fat, added sugar are used fluctuated substantially in breakfast around 15%.
Overall, Sodium and saturated fat are used by 29% and 26% in lunch by US people whereas, Added sugar fell dramtically lower than others at 19% only.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several important comparisons, including dinner as the highest meal for sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), and snacks as the largest source of added sugar (42%). However, the overview is not clearly stated, and some descriptions are inaccurate or unclear: sodium did not “gradually increase”; it is lower at breakfast and snacks, then rises at lunch and dinner. The breakfast figures are not all “around 15%”: saturated fat and added sugar are 16%, while sodium is 14%. Your final paragraph reports the lunch figures correctly, but the response is under the required 150 words, which limits how fully you can describe the main features. Add a concise overview and explain the contrasting meal patterns more clearly.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has separate paragraphs and attempts to group information by meal, so the reader can identify the general topic of each section. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph focuses on dinner, the third shifts to snacks and breakfast, and the final paragraph returns to lunch without a clear overall summary. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand” and “In contrast” do not always express the relationship between the figures accurately, and “subsequently” is used unclearly. Organise the report around a clear overview followed by comparisons, for example, grouping dinner and lunch patterns together and then contrasting them with snack figures. This would make the connections between details easier to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentages,” “in contrast,” and “fluctuated,” and the nutrient names are generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “Sodium used gradually increased” incorrectly describes the data and uses an unsuitable verb; “used” is also repeated where “accounted for” or “made up” would be more natural. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “staurated,” “addes,” “subsequenly,” “declind,” and “dramtically.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and check spelling carefully. Avoid vague phrases such as “used most among” when a direct comparison can be stated.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas hard to understand. Examples include “typical meal” instead of a plural form, “Added sugar are used,” and “Sodium, saturated fat, added sugar are used fluctuated,” where agreement and sentence structure are faulty. The sentence beginning “In contrast, snack is subsequencly declind by 14%” also lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the snack figure and the nutrient. Articles, plurals, and verb forms need more reliable control. Practise writing short, complete comparisons first, then combine them with accurate clauses using “while” or “whereas.”
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