Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-19

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 proportion of three different nutrients, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar, present in various typical meals of the day, which can cause health issues, if consumed in large quantity, are compared by the given pie charts.

Dinner contains largest proportion of sodium and saturated fat. Whereas, added sugar is abundant in snakcs. Moreover, among all meals, the breakfast is the healthier one, contains least percentage of all nutrients.

First of all, dinner in the most critical meal of the day having 43% and 37% of sodium and saturated fat respectively. Moreover the second meal having the largest proportion of these two nutrients is Lunch, which contains 29% and 26% of sodium and saturated fat respectively.

Secondly, added sugar execerbating the snacks, which is present equivalent to 42% of all nutrients. Moreover, morning meals contain 14% of sodium and 16% of saturated fat and added suger each, which are lowest of all.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying the highest and lowest values for the nutrients across the different meals. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention the percentages, the comparison between the meals could be more integrated. For example, you state that dinner is the most critical meal, but you could have more effectively contrasted this with breakfast to highlight the disparity in nutrient intake. The overview is present but could be more analytical by grouping the nutrients or meals more logically to show trends rather than just listing data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'First of all', and 'Secondly'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. For instance, the transition 'Secondly, added sugar execerbating the snacks' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall cohesion would benefit from a more varied use of linking words and better integration of the data points within the paragraphs to create a smoother narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'nutrients', and 'consumed'. However, there are several spelling errors ('snakcs', 'execerbating', 'suger') and some awkward phrasing, such as 'added sugar execerbating the snacks'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring the accurate spelling of key terms related to the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'the breakfast is the healthier one, contains least percentage' is missing a subject and an article. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from being considered error-free. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for missing articles or verb endings would significantly improve your score.

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

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