Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-21

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 three pie charts illustrate the average proportion of breakfast, dinner, lunch and snacks of three types of nutrient (sodium, saturated fats, added sugar) in the USA all of which may be detrimental if consumed in excess.

Overall, it is evident that sodium and saturated fats are consumed significantly more at dinner compared to lunch, breakfast and snacks. Furthermore, sugar showed higher consumption in snacks.

On the one hand, the percentage of sodium consumed in breakfast, accounted for 14%, followed by dinner, lunch and snacks, at 43%, 29% and 14% respectively.

On the other hand, the consumption of saturated fats and added sugar showed a similar trend in breakfast which was responsible for 16%. Moreover, the number of saturated fat and sugar which was consumed in snacks demonstrated the double proportion from 21% to 42%. Moreover, saturated fat which was consumed in lunch at 26%, and sugar which was also consumed in lunch at 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key trends such as the high sodium and saturated fat content at dinner and the prevalence of sugar in snacks. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a cohesive synthesis of the data. While the main features are selected, the comparison between the three nutrients could be more integrated. The description of the data is accurate, but the report would benefit from a more analytical approach rather than simply listing percentages. The overview is present but could be more clearly separated from the body paragraphs to enhance the structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, the use of these connectors is slightly repetitive and occasionally mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the discussion of sodium and the other nutrients feels abrupt. Referencing is mostly clear, though the sentence structure in the final paragraph is somewhat disjointed, which affects the overall flow of the information provided.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the data with reasonable precision. Terms like 'proportion', 'detrimental', and 'consumed in excess' are used correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on repetitive phrasing, such as 'consumed in'. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more varied synonyms for 'consumption' and 'proportion' and demonstrate a better grasp of collocations related to data reporting. There are no significant spelling errors, and the meaning is always clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally functional, there are several awkward phrasings, such as 'the number of saturated fat and sugar which was consumed in snacks demonstrated the double proportion from 21% to 42%'. This sentence is grammatically confusing and lacks precision. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical structures, which prevents a higher score in this criterion.

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

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