Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02

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 charts illustrates how much of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in everyday meals consumed in the USA.

Overall, the charts shows average consumption of sodium, fat and sugars from breakfast, snack to dinner meals. The charts suggest that almost same proportion of sodium, fat and added sugar are consumed in typical breakfast by USA peoples. while, In lunch meals consumers consume more portion of sodium and fat compared to added sugar. Consistantly consumer consume very less sugar level in dinner meal. For example charts shows that Sodium and Fat level are 43% and 37% respectively, while sugar level is only 23% in dinner meals.

On contrast, USA consumer consume double portions of sugar compare to sodium and saturated fat in snacks. The Sugar level included 42% in snacks. In conclusion, the charts gives good information how consumer consume their typical meal in USA.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that dinner accounts for the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, and that snacks contain the most added sugar. The figures you give for dinner (43%, 37% and 23%) and snacks (42% sugar) are accurate. However, the overview is incomplete and includes a misleading claim: breakfast shares are not “almost same” across all three nutrients, and sodium and saturated fat are not double the sugar share in snacks. You also omit useful comparisons, such as lunch’s 29% sodium and 26% saturated fat versus 19% sugar. The response is 137 words, below the 150-word minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are excluded. Develop the overview and report more key comparisons accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to a comparison of snack figures. This gives the reader some organisation, and expressions such as “Overall” and “In conclusion” signal stages of the response. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the overview mixes several comparisons, then the final paragraph repeats the snack point without developing a fuller account of the charts. Some linking phrases are inaccurate or awkward, including “On contrast,” and the sentence beginning “while, In lunch meals” interrupts the flow. Group the main patterns more logically—for example, compare meal shares for sodium and fat, then contrast these with added sugar—and use linking words sparingly and accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “consumed,” “compared to” and “level,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “consume double portions,” “sugar level included 42%” and “good information how consumer consume.” Repetition of “charts,” “consume” and “level” also makes the description less precise. Spelling errors such as “Consistantly” are noticeable, and “USA peoples” is not an appropriate expression for this context. Aim for concise reporting language such as “accounted for,” “share” and “the proportion of added sugar,” while checking spelling and avoiding repeated general verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, including “Sodium and Fat level are 43% and 37% respectively, while sugar level is only 23%.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “The charts illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the charts shows” repeats this problem. The opening phrase “how much of sodium” has an incorrect structure, and “In lunch meals consumers consume” lacks clear sentence punctuation. Capitalisation after full stops and commas is also inconsistent, as in “while, In lunch meals.” Practise accurate sentence boundaries, agreement, articles and plural forms, then build longer comparisons from correctly controlled clauses.

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