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 chart illustrates the average percentages of typical meals of three types.

Overall, most of the people use added sugar at the time of snack. On the other hand, sodium mostly use at lunch and dinner. Surprisingly, people use all these mostly same at breakfast.

People use sodium at snack and breakfast same but they use it much more at lunch an dinner. These percentages are 29% and 43%.

People use saturated fat mostly at dinner. Furthermore, they also take it at snack, breakfast and lunch and percentages ar 21%,16%, 26%.

People take added sugar at snack a lot. It also half than others. The figure is 42%. In the addition, people take it other times mostly same.

These all things are very important for a person but USA prople take sugar a lot. It is very harmful for their health. Also they take saturated fat at dinner 37%. It indicates, they will gain fat very soon.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important patterns, especially that dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest share of added sugar. The figures you give for sodium at lunch and dinner and for the three saturated-fat meals are accurate. However, the overview is partly unclear: “sodium mostly use at lunch and dinner” does not specify that dinner is highest, and “all these mostly same at breakfast” overlooks that breakfast is lowest for sodium and tied for lowest for the other nutrients. The claim that added sugar is “half than others” is also inaccurate; 42% is the largest share, but not half. Focus the overview on the contrasting meal patterns and avoid health predictions not shown by the charts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs discussing the nutrients. This makes the main categories easy to locate, and linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Furthermore” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear references and repetitive phrasing, particularly the repeated “People use/take” openings. The overview’s “all these mostly same at breakfast” is difficult to interpret, and the final paragraph shifts from reporting chart data to unsupported health consequences. Organise the body around the clearest comparisons—for example, dinner’s prominence for sodium and saturated fat versus snacks’ prominence for sugar—and use more precise links between figures and claims.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “sodium,” “saturated fat,” “added sugar,” “percentages,” and “figure,” so the reader can generally follow the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “people use sodium,” “take it at snack,” and “It also half than others.” Repetition of “people use/take” also reduces flexibility. Some spelling errors, including “prople” and “ar,” are noticeable. Use neutral chart-reporting language such as “accounts for,” “constitutes,” and “the proportion of,” and choose verbs that fit nutrients and data rather than describing people as using them. This would make the report more precise and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and most of the intended comparisons can be understood. However, there are some recurring grammatical problems that make several sentences awkward or incomplete. For example, “sodium mostly use at lunch and dinner” lacks a suitable subject–verb construction, while “It also half than others” is missing the verb phrase needed to express the comparison. In “These percentages are 29% and 43%,” the sentence is grammatical, but the surrounding sentence has a missing conjunction in “lunch an dinner.” Work on complete clauses, subject–verb agreement, and accurate comparative structures. A wider range of correctly controlled complex sentences would improve clarity.

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