Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-28
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 show the average percentage of sodium in typical meals of three kinds of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.
Overall, in the all charts, dinner is higher than others while breakfast is lower in all categories. In added sugar snack is higher while in sodium snack is lowest. In sodium lunch is higher than others.
In sodium dinner is 43% while in saturated fat it is 37% and in added sugar the percentage of dinner is 23%. In added sugar, the percentage of snack is 42% which is higher, while in saturated percentage of snack is 21% and in sodium it is 14%.
In sodium, the percentage of breakfast is 14% which is lowest while in other nutrients its percentage of same. Lunch in sodium is 29% while in saturated fat is 26%, on the other hand lunch in added sugar is 23% which is lowest than others.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several important patterns, including dinner’s high shares of sodium and saturated fat and the much larger snack share for added sugar. Most figures you report are accurate, such as sodium at dinner (43%) and saturated fat at dinner (37%). However, there are factual and overview problems: sodium lunch is not the highest meal share (dinner is), and added sugar at lunch is 19%, not 23%; 23% is the dinner figure. The statement that breakfast is lowest across all categories is also inaccurate because added-sugar breakfast (16%) is below the snack share but not the lowest? More importantly, it ties with saturated-fat breakfast, while sodium breakfast ties with snacks. The response is 144 words, six short of the 150-word minimum. Add a clearer overview and accurate comparisons to complete the task more fully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs reporting figures. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is limited because the body repeats the same meal-by-meal comparisons without a clear grouping principle. Phrases such as “In sodium” and “In added sugar” repeatedly restart the discussion, while “on the other hand” does not establish a meaningful contrast in its final use. The overview also combines several claims in a way that is difficult to follow. Group the data around the main contrasts—for example, dinner’s high sodium and fat shares versus snacks’ high sugar share—and use clear references to the nutrient and meal being compared.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “dinner,” “breakfast,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar,” so the reader can generally identify the categories being discussed. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, such as “higher than others,” “in all categories,” and “the percentage of same.” “In the all charts” is also an awkward expression, and “saturated percentage” does not clearly name saturated fat. These choices sometimes make comparisons harder to interpret. Use more precise comparison language and vary reporting verbs, while keeping the chart labels consistent. For example, distinguish “the largest share” from “the lowest proportion” and refer explicitly to “the saturated-fat figure.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple statements and longer comparative sentences, and several figures are communicated in understandable clauses, such as “In sodium dinner is 43% while in saturated fat it is 37%.” However, the range remains limited, and errors in sentence construction and articles recur. Examples include “in the all charts,” “In sodium dinner,” and “its percentage of same,” where the relationships between the meal and nutrient are not expressed grammatically. The final sentence also joins comparisons with “on the other hand” without a well-formed contrast. These problems sometimes slow understanding, although the intended meaning is often recoverable. Practise complete comparison patterns, such as “Dinner accounts for 43% of sodium intake, compared with 37% for saturated fat.”
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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