Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-14
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.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The pie charts illustrate, the percentage of nutrients taken by USA population in the entire day food like breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks which contains sodium, saturated fat and added sugar as well impact of it on health if had too much.
Overall, In breakfast sodium, saturated fat and added sugar around 14 to 16 percent whereas snacks contains more sugar and dinner having major proportion of sodium which is almost covering 50 percent of the total part.
Lunch more percentage 29 is sodium which declined with 3 percent in the saturated fat and and furthermore to 19 percent in added sugar. Dinner is considering 37 percent for saturated fat whereas sugar is 23 percent. Snacks sodium and saturated fat part is 14 and 21 percent which presenting snacks is the most unhealthy food in all meal categories.
Breakfast and lunch nutrients proportion is maintained with smaller changes which occur as the good food category.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response identifies the main features of the charts, such as the high sodium content in dinner and the sugar levels in snacks. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, you state that dinner covers 'almost 50 percent' of sodium, but the chart shows 43 percent, and your claim that snacks are the 'most unhealthy' is a subjective interpretation not explicitly supported by the data provided. Additionally, the overview is slightly confusing, and some data points are misread or poorly integrated. To improve, ensure that all figures are cited accurately and that comparisons are based strictly on the provided data rather than personal conclusions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'whereas' and 'furthermore'. There is a lack of clear logical progression between the overview and the body paragraphs. The final sentence is particularly abrupt and does not effectively summarize the data or link back to the main points. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the readability and logical structure of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic descriptors like 'good food category' and 'major proportion', which are not academic in tone. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'taken by USA population' instead of 'consumed by the US population' and 'dinner is considering' instead of 'dinner accounts for'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'constitutes', 'accounts for', or 'a significant proportion'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'snacks contains', 'dinner is considering'), missing articles, and awkward sentence structures (e.g., 'which presenting snacks is the most unhealthy'). The range of sentence structures is limited, and the punctuation is inconsistent, particularly in the introduction. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree, and using articles correctly. Practicing complex sentences with accurate relative clauses will also help improve your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.