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 illustrate the percentages of the comsumption of three ingredients which used in daily meals such as Sodium, Saturated fat, Added sugar, in United State of America.

Overall, the dinner is mostly consumed high this nutrients, while, breakfast contains relatively same amount in each type, snack is high in added sugar from all other meals. .

In dinner, sodium is highly valuable approximately 43% which is unhealthy to eat much and in snack which USA population used is 14% sodium contaminated. The breakfast has less amount of all three nutrients almost 16%.

At lunch, the USA citizen contains 29% sodium and nearly 26% saturated fat at daily meal, added sugar is one-fifth percent in lunch. The percentges of saturated fat and added sugar dinner time they eat are 37% and 23% respectively. Added sugar in snack is 42% which second most highest pointing to the dinner sodium contamination.

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 dinner sodium (43%), snack sodium (14%), lunch sodium (29%), dinner saturated fat (37%), and snack added sugar (42%) match the chart. However, the overview is partly unclear: “dinner is mostly consumed high this nutrients” does not specify which nutrients, and the claim that breakfast has “almost 16%” in all three categories overlooks its 14% sodium share. The comparison that added sugar in snacks is the “second most highest” is also inaccurate; it is the highest figure among all meal-and-nutrient shares shown. More precise comparisons and fuller coverage of the chart’s main contrasts would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of details. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear: the third paragraph moves from dinner to snacks and breakfast, while the final paragraph shifts between lunch and dinner before returning to snacks. Linking words such as “while” and “At lunch” are used, but some connections are awkward or unclear, as in “pointing to the dinner sodium contamination.” The overview also contains a stray full stop after the sentence. Grouping the figures consistently by meal or by nutrient, and using clearer comparisons between categories, would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentages,” “nutrients,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural and sometimes make the meaning difficult to interpret. For example, “dinner is mostly consumed high this nutrients,” “sodium is highly valuable,” and “sodium contaminated” do not express the intended proportions clearly. “Second most highest” is also an incorrect expression. There are spelling errors such as “comsumption” and “percentges,” alongside repetition of “amount” and “high.” Use neutral reporting language such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “proportion,” and check spelling and collocations when describing data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can usually identify the meal and nutrient being discussed. However, grammatical control is uneven, particularly in sentence construction and clause relationships. The introduction’s phrase “three ingredients which used in daily meals” is missing a relative-clause verb, while “The breakfast has less amount of all three nutrients” has an awkward article and comparative structure. In “At lunch, the USA citizen contains 29% sodium,” the subject does not fit the intended meaning, and the sentence about dinner percentages lacks a clear grammatical connection. Punctuation is also inconsistent, including the extra full stop after the overview. Practise complete clauses, accurate subject–verb relationships, and clear sentence boundaries.

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