Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-25

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 illustrates the average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA in three differet time ( Lunch, Breakfast, snacks, Dinner).

Overall, at the dinner time, people preferred foods that contained high amount of sodium and saturated fat. While extra suggar was highly consumed at snack.

Sodium and Saturated fat was highly consumed at dinner time, at 45% and 37% respectively. Snack accounted for smallest share,at 14%. While, at breakfast, saturated fat was less cosumed, at 16%. In addition, the amount of sodium was found equal at breakfast and snak time, at 14%.

People prefer to add extra sugar at snack time, at 42%. at breakfast, extra sugar accounted for smallest share, at 16%, slightly lower than lunch.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main pattern that dinner contributes the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the most added sugar. You also include several relevant figures. However, the sodium figure for dinner is reported as 45%, rather than 43%, and the overview could compare all three nutrients more clearly. The response is also under the required 150 words: it contains 111 words, with 16 words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. This limits the detail and development of your summary. To improve, meet the minimum length and report the key comparisons accurately, including that dinner is highest for sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks lead for added sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs giving details about the nutrients. This helps the reader follow the main points. However, progression is limited because the details are brief and some comparisons are not fully connected. For example, the sentence beginning “While, at breakfast” is an incomplete contrast, and the final paragraph gives only the snack and breakfast figures for added sugar without developing the comparison with lunch and dinner. Linking words such as “Overall” and “In addition” are useful, but punctuation around them is sometimes awkward. Grouping the figures more systematically and using complete, clearly linked comparisons would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “accounted for,” and “share,” and the reader can generally understand the intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors are noticeable: “high amount” would be more natural as “a high proportion,” “extra suggar” is misspelled, and “people preferred foods” suggests a preference that the chart does not show. “Consumed” is repeated, and “snak” and “cosumed” also contain spelling errors. Aim for precise, neutral chart language such as “the proportion of sodium was highest at dinner” and vary terms carefully. These improvements would make the description clearer and more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the broad comparisons using simple sentences and make an attempt at a more complex structure in “While extra suggar was highly consumed at snack.” However, errors occur frequently and some sentences are incomplete or awkwardly formed. The opening has subject–verb disagreement (“The pie charts illustrates”), while “Sodium and Saturated fat was” also requires a plural verb. “While, at breakfast…” is a fragment, and the overview’s “While” clause is not joined to a complete main clause. Articles and sentence punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “at the dinner time” and the lower-case “at breakfast” after a full stop. Practise accurate agreement and complete clauses, then use a few controlled complex sentences to express comparisons.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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