Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-30

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 shows information about the average percentage in typical meals of three types of nutrients in USA, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much. There are three pie charts which provides the information of three different nutrients as sodium, saturated fats and added sugar.

Overall, dinner has recorded highest proportion in sodium and saturated fat meanwhile in added sugar snack has the highest proportion among others. In all pie charts breakfast has least consumption of these nutrients. In addition, snacks in added sugar is almost twice of sodium and saturated fat.

In general, the highest proportion has coverd by dinner in sodium and saturated fat which was accounted for 43% and 37% respectively and on the other hand dinner in added sugar has made up of 23%. Moreover, added sugar has highest proportion of snack accounted for 42%. In breakfast, added suagar and staurated fat were same as 16%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: dinner accounts for the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you give for these features (43%, 37% and 42%) are correct, and you also note the matching 16% breakfast shares for added sugar and saturated fat. However, the overview claim that breakfast is the lowest for all three nutrients is inaccurate: snacks and breakfast are tied at 14% for sodium, and breakfast is not the lowest for added sugar. Several chart values and comparisons are omitted, leaving the report underdeveloped. The response is 136 words, below the 150-word minimum; 18 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Include the key remaining figures and correct the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and a final paragraph containing figures. This helps the reader identify the general subject and the main meal-related patterns. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph largely repeats the overview rather than developing a systematic comparison across the three nutrients. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “Moreover” are used, but some connections are unclear: “meanwhile” joins two related findings awkwardly, and “on the other hand” does not establish a clear contrast. Organise the details by nutrient or meal, and use comparisons to connect the figures rather than repeating the same points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” and “made up,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “highest proportion has coverd by dinner” and “least consumption” for percentages shown in meals. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “suagar,” “staurated,” and “coverd,” which reduce the accuracy of the report. Use precise terms such as “share” or “percentage,” and describe the figures as nutrients’ proportions in each meal rather than consumption. Check spelling carefully and avoid repeating “proportion” where a more natural alternative would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in agreement and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some statements awkward. For example, “The pie charts shows” should have a plural verb, while “three pie charts which provides” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. The phrase “highest proportion has coverd by dinner” lacks a correctly formed passive structure, and “In breakfast” uses an incorrect preposition in this context. Some sentences also run together several ideas without clear grammatical links. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, passive forms such as “was accounted for,” and sentence boundaries; these changes would make your comparisons easier to follow.

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

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