Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-03
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 compared the average percentage in typical meals namely, snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner of three different nutrients namely, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar measued in percentage.
Overall, sodium use consequently more in dinner as compare to other. Added sugar contriubuted highly in snacks and saturated fat experience moderate in all time.
On the one hand, Sodium nutrients use highest in dinner, at 43% of meals. In contrast, Sodium use subsquently less in lunch at 29% and 14% in snack and breakfast. The saturated fat consume moderate in all meals 16% to 26% in snack, breakfast and lunch. In addition only dinner have quite more people use saturated fat at 37% in dinner.
On the other hand, added sugar consume highest in snack at 42%, while it use moderate in breakfast and lunch only 16% and 19%. In contrast, added sugar contriubute quite more in dinner by 23%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You identify the main contrasts accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat (43% and 37%), while snacks account for the most added sugar (42%). The overview captures these dominant patterns, and the body includes relevant figures for all three nutrients. This gives the report a clear response to the chart. However, some comparisons are imprecise or unclear: “saturated fat experience moderate in all time” does not clearly distinguish the 16% breakfast and 21% snack figures from lunch at 26%, and “quite more people use” incorrectly suggests the chart measures people rather than nutrient percentages. To strengthen the overview and detail, describe the full pattern more precisely, including that dinner is the largest meal share for both sodium and saturated fat, whereas added sugar is more evenly distributed across meals apart from the snack peak.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group sodium and saturated fat separately from added sugar. This makes the main information reasonably easy to locate. Linking phrases such as “In contrast,” “In addition,” and “On the other hand” show an effort to connect comparisons. At times, however, these devices feel mechanical or do not express a clear contrast, and the progression within the first body paragraph is difficult to follow because sodium and saturated fat figures are mixed together. Some references, such as “it” in the added-sugar paragraph, are also less clear than repeating the nutrient name. Organise each paragraph around a clear comparison and use linking words only where the relationship between figures warrants them.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “nutrients,” “highest,” and “in contrast,” so the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range and control are limited by repeated or inaccurate expressions. Phrases such as “sodium use,” “saturated fat consume,” and “added sugar contriubute” are not natural ways to describe the proportions shown; the chart reports shares of each nutrient across meals, not how much people use or consume. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “measued” and “contriubuted,” and imprecise wording such as “quite more.” Use accurate collocations such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the proportion of sodium,” and check spelling carefully to make the comparisons more precise and fluent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer comparisons, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in sentence structure, verb forms, articles, and agreement. For example, “sodium use consequently more in dinner” is missing a suitable verb, while “The saturated fat consume moderate” has an incorrect verb form and lacks a clear grammatical structure. In “Sodium use subsquently less in lunch,” the comparison also needs a verb, such as “was lower at lunch.” The opening sentence is overloaded and does not form a clear, accurate description. Practise building complete sentences with a subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense reporting forms such as “accounted for” or “was highest.”
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