Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 AVVERAGE PROPORTION OF SODIUM, SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGARS IN FOUR DIFFERENT MEALS CONSUMED BY AMERICAN.

OVERALL, SODIUM AND SATURATED FATS WERE MOSTLY CONSUMED IN THE DINNER BY THE PEOPLE.WHEREAS,SUGAR WAS SLIGHTLY LESS CONSUMED IN THE DINNER.ALL THE THREE NUTRIENTS WERE LEAST CONSMED IN THE BREAKFAST, BUT IN THE SNACKS ADDED SUGAR WAS THE HIGHEST.

SODIUM AND SATURATED FATS HAVE MAJOR CONSUMPTION IN THE DINNER,WHICH IS 43% AND 37% RESPECTIVELY.ADDED SUGAR WAS USED ONLY 23% IN THE DINNER.

IN THE BREKFAST , BOTH SUGAR AND SALT WAS USED ONLY 16%.IF WE LOOK AT THE SNACK TIME , THE MOST CONSUMED THING WAS ADDED SUGAR WHICH WAS 42% OF THE MEAL , MAKING INTHE HIGHER THAT SODIUM IN THE DINNER.SATURATED FAT AND ADDED SUGAR WAS CONSUMED SAME ONLY IN BREAKFAST ,I.E 16%.WHILE SODIUM WAS ALSO EQUALLY EATEN IN SNACK AND BREAKFAST AT 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner, and you correctly report their dinner shares (43% and 37%) and the 42% snack figure for added sugar. The overview also notes that breakfast is low for the nutrients, although this is not true of every measure: added sugar is lowest at breakfast, but sodium is equally low at breakfast and snacks. Some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate; for example, “sugar was slightly less consumed in the dinner” does not explain that dinner’s 23% is below the snack peak, and the claim that all three nutrients are least consumed at breakfast overlooks sodium’s tie. The response is also three words below the 150-word minimum. Include the lunch figures and clarify the contrasting snack pattern to develop the summary more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of supporting details. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Whereas,” and “If we look at” help signal comparisons. However, progression is weakened by repeated points about dinner and breakfast, while lunch is omitted entirely. Some connections are also awkward or unclear, particularly “making inthe higher that sodium in the dinner,” which makes the comparison difficult to follow. Punctuation spacing and inconsistent sentence boundaries further interrupt the flow. Group the information by the main contrasts—dinner peaks for sodium and fat, versus snack peak for sugar—and use clear comparison phrases to connect the figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “respectively,” “consumed,” and “highest,” and the reader can generally identify the nutrients and meals being compared. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “major consumption” is unnatural for a percentage, “used” does not clearly describe nutrient intake, and “the higher that” obscures the intended comparison. Spelling errors such as “AVVERAGE,” “CONSMED,” and “BREKFAST” are noticeable, as is the inconsistent use of “sugar” for “added sugar” and “salt” for sodium. Use precise terms consistently, such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “proportion,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “Whereas” and a relative clause in “which was 42% of the meal.” However, some sentence structures are incomplete or faulty: “Whereas, sugar was slightly less consumed in the dinner” is not well integrated with the preceding sentence, and “making inthe higher that sodium in the dinner” does not form a clear grammatical comparison. There are also errors in agreement and articles, as in “The pie charts illustrates” and “in the dinner,” and “both sugar and salt was” should use a plural verb. Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas. Practise complete, well-formed comparison sentences and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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