Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01

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 illustrate the average proportions of three unhealthy nutrients (sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars) in four daily meal categories (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) in the USA.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat cosumed mostly at dinner accout for the large proportion. Additionally, Added sugar is utilised as snacks mostly. In contrast, sodium and saturated fat make up the lowest percentages in snacks and breakfast. Whereas, snacks dominated the chart in added sugar.

Regarding sodium, it accounted for the largest proportion at 43% Followed by lunch at 29%. In contrast, snacks and breakfast, combined at an equal 14% each.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report the main sodium figures accurately: dinner is highest at 43%, lunch is 29%, and breakfast and snacks are both 14%. You also recognise the broad contrast that added sugar is most associated with snacks. However, the response addresses the charts only partially: it gives no specific figures or comparisons for saturated fat or added sugar, despite these being two of the three datasets. The overview is also unclear and partly repetitive, and the claim that sodium and saturated fat are lowest in “snacks and breakfast” does not reflect the chart consistently. The response is 49 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited coverage. Include the key figures for all nutrients and a concise, accurate overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph beginning “Regarding sodium.” This gives the reader some organisation, and the sodium details follow a sensible order from the largest share to the smaller equal shares. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph covers only one nutrient, leaving the other chart information unorganised and absent. Cohesive links such as “Overall,” “Additionally,” and “In contrast” are used, but the contrasts are repetitive or unclear; “Whereas” also introduces a fragment rather than a complete contrast. Group the information by meaningful comparisons—for example, dinner’s leading shares for sodium and saturated fat versus snacks’ leading share for sugar—and use linking phrases only where they clarify the relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average proportions,” “largest proportion,” and “accounted for,” and the nutrient and meal labels are generally clear. This is enough to communicate the basic topic, but the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Cosumed” and “accout” are misspellings, while “Added sugar is utilised as snacks mostly” is an awkward way to describe a percentage in a meal category. “Dominated the chart” is also imprecise: snacks have the largest share of added sugar, rather than dominating the whole chart. Aim for precise reporting language such as “made up,” “accounted for,” and “the highest share,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several understandable simple sentences and attempt more complex linking, as in “In contrast, snacks and breakfast, combined at an equal 14% each.” However, this sentence lacks a finite verb, and “Whereas, snacks dominated the chart in added sugar” is also incomplete as written. The overview contains agreement and verb-form problems in “sodium and saturated fat cosumed mostly at dinner accout for the large proportion,” making the relationship between the nutrients and their shares difficult to follow. Punctuation is also missing after “43%” before “Followed.” These errors occur alongside a narrow range of sentence patterns, so they sometimes interrupt clarity. Practise complete clauses, accurate subject–verb structures, and punctuation when joining or separating chart comparisons.

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