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 chart illustrates the average percentages of sodium ,saturated fats and added sugar in typical meals consumed in USA.
The sodium is mostly consumed in dinner and least consumed in snack and breakfast .In lunch it is consumed moderately between breakfast and dinner about 29%,whereas in dinner it is consumed around 43% and in breakfast and snack it is consumed in same amount about 14%.
Th saturated fat is mostly consumed in dinner and least consumed in breakfast .In lunch and snack it is used moderately .
The added sugar is mostly consumed in snacks and in breakfast it is used least .
If we compare them, one thing is common between all of them is that all of them is used least in breakfast and moderately used in lunch . Sodium and saturated fat is mostly used in dinner whereas only added sugar is utilized mostly in snacks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main pattern correctly: sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner, while added sugar is highest in snacks. You also report sodium accurately, including dinner at 43% and lunch at 29%. However, several important details are missing: saturated fat is 16% at breakfast, 26% at lunch, 37% at dinner and 21% in snacks, while added sugar rises from 16% at breakfast to 42% in snacks. The claim that all three nutrients are lowest at breakfast is inaccurate, since sodium is equally low at breakfast and in snacks. The response is also 8 words below the 150-word minimum (142 words; 8 words copied from the prompt were not counted). Add key figures and make comparisons more precise.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic, understandable order: it describes sodium, then saturated fat and added sugar, before making a comparison. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, the three nutrient descriptions are presented as short, repetitive blocks, and the final comparison repeats earlier points rather than drawing the data together in a developed overview. Linking phrases such as “If we compare them” help, but “mostly” and “least” recur without enough specific figures to make relationships clear. Grouping the meal patterns—for example, comparing dinner and snack peaks across all three nutrients—would create stronger progression. Use paragraphing to distinguish an overview from the supporting comparisons.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “consumed,” “moderately,” and “compare,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, especially “mostly consumed” and “used.” Some choices are imprecise for describing proportions: “used” and “utilized” suggest that nutrients are applied rather than present in meals, while “moderately” does not specify a value or clear ranking. There are also noticeable spelling and spacing issues, including “Th” for “The” and missing spaces after commas. Aim for more precise terms such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “proportion,” and vary the language used to describe the highest and lowest shares.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
Most of your sentences communicate a basic comparison, and you attempt a longer structure with “whereas” to contrast lunch and dinner. However, the response relies heavily on simple sentence patterns, and errors in agreement, articles and punctuation are frequent enough to make the writing less controlled. For example, “one thing is common … is that all of them is used” has faulty agreement and an awkward clause structure; “in USA” needs an article, and “The sodium” is not the natural grammatical form here. Commas are also separated from the preceding words, and several sentences have unnecessary spaces before full stops. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and article use, then combine related comparisons in varied but controlled sentences.
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