Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-27

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 three pie charts illustrate the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may have neagtive effects if eaten too much.

Overall, it is clear that majority of people consumed sodium and saturated fat in the dinner. And the added sugar is mainly consumed during the snacks.

Firstly, around 43% sodium is taken in the dinner, and 29% of the sodium is consumed during the lunch. And around 14% consumption of salt in the breakfast and in the snacks. Whereas, Saturated fat makes around 37% in the dinner and around 26% in the lunch.

The fat takes makes 21% of total consumption in the snacks and only 16% is taken during the breakfast. The added sugar makes the largest percent in snacks around 42% overall. Secondly it is consumed during dinner at 23%. The consumption of added sugar during lunch is low and only at 19% but the added sugar is only accounted at 16% in the breakfast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest share of added sugar. Most figures are also correct, including 43% sodium at dinner, 37% saturated fat at dinner and 42% added sugar in snacks. However, the overview says “majority of people” consumed these nutrients at dinner, which overstates the chart: the figures are percentages of each nutrient across meals, not proportions of people, and dinner is not a majority for saturated fat. The comparison of all three nutrients across meals could be clearer. The response is also one word below the required 150-word minimum, which limits task fulfilment. Add a concise comparison or overview detail to complete the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an overview followed by details, and the reader can generally follow the meal-by-meal information. However, progression is uneven: the first detail paragraph covers sodium and part of saturated fat, while the next returns to saturated fat before discussing sugar. This makes the organisation feel somewhat repetitive rather than systematically comparative. Connectors such as “Firstly,” “Whereas,” and “Secondly” are used, but “And” repeatedly begins sentences, and “Whereas” does not clearly link a complete contrast. Grouping the figures by meal or comparing all three nutrients in a consistent sequence would make the relationships easier to follow. Clearer referencing and fewer repeated transitions would strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the chart, including “average percentages,” “consumed,” and the nutrient names. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “Taken” and “consumed” recur, while “the fat takes makes 21%” is unclear and does not describe the data naturally. “Salt” is used for sodium, although these are not interchangeable labels in this chart, and “negative effects” is a broad paraphrase of “unhealthy.” There is also a spelling error in “neagtive.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations, such as “accounted for” or “represented,” and use the chart’s exact nutrient labels consistently. These changes would make the description clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, but control is inconsistent, and several sentences contain structural errors. For example, “Overall, it is clear that majority of people consumed…” is missing an article and uses a clause that misrepresents the chart’s subject. “The fat takes makes 21%” contains a faulty verb construction, while “And around 14% consumption of salt…” is a sentence fragment rather than a complete clause. Repeated sentence openings with “And” also weaken punctuation and flow. Use complete subject–verb sentences, check articles and agreement, and avoid combining two reporting verbs. A wider range of accurately controlled structures would help make the comparisons more fluent.

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