Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-02

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.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The three pie charts illusrates the normal ratio in usual meals of three kinds of nutrients, if those nutrients are eaten at extereme level it may causes side effect on health.

Overall,there is average numbers of sodium, saturated fats and sugars in meals used in the USA .In breakfast and snacks eaten by individuals having sodium about 14 percent meanwhile 42 percent of added sugar is consumed in snacks and saturated fat in dinner is about to 37 percent.

Initially,there are four kinds of meal in a day which a individual eat daily contains sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. In breakfast 14 percent of sodium and 16 percent saturated fat and added sugar while in lunch sodium includes 29 percent ,saturated fat includes amount of 26 and sugar having 19 percent of amount. In third meal ,which is dinner having 43 percent pf sodium and 37 percent of saturated fat but sugar is about to decrease in dinner with 23 percent . In meal of snacks, the highest percent is in the snacks with 42 percent whereas saturated fat is half as compared to added sugar .Snacks also includes 14 percent of the sodium

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the charts, identifying key percentages for sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars across the four meal types. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a cohesive overview. While the prompt asks for a summary, the student lists data points in a repetitive manner rather than synthesizing the information effectively. For instance, the comparison of snacks and dinner is present but could be more clearly contrasted. The inclusion of 'average numbers' in the introduction is slightly inaccurate as the charts display percentages, not raw numbers. To improve, focus on grouping data points to highlight trends rather than listing every figure sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Initially' and 'whereas', but they are sometimes applied mechanically or incorrectly (e.g., 'Initially' is not appropriate for describing data categories). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'In third meal, which is dinner having 43 percent pf sodium'. The paragraphing is present but the flow between sentences is disjointed, making the text feel like a list of observations rather than a cohesive report. Improving the use of transition words and varying sentence starters would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'normal ratio' instead of 'proportions' and 'extereme level' instead of 'excessive amounts'. The student relies on basic terminology like 'amount' and 'percent' repeatedly. There are also spelling errors ('illusrates', 'extereme', 'causes') and grammatical slips in word formation ('side effect' should be plural, 'pf' is a typo). To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'constitute', 'account for', and 'fluctuate'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('charts illusrates', 'it may causes'), article usage, and prepositions ('in snacks and saturated fat in dinner is about to 37 percent'). Some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'In breakfast and snacks eaten by individuals having sodium about 14 percent', which lacks a clear main verb. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of grammatical errors and punctuation issues (e.g., missing spaces after commas) detracts from the clarity of the writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for agreement errors is essential.

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

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