Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-03

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.

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie chart show the average percentages in typical meals of three different types of nutrients, all are un healthy if they eaten more then enough.

Overall, the amount of sodium and saturated fat consumed in dinner is higher then other meal except in added sugar because rate of added sugar is higher in snacks.

To begin with, breakfast and lunch the rate of sodium in break fast is 14% and 29% percent in lunch, while rate of saturated fat in breakfast is 16% that is slightly higher then in sodium and in lunch saturated fat is 26% that is slightly less then in sodium, similarly rate of added sugar in breakfast is 16% and in lunch 19%.

Meanwhile, the ratio of sodium is 43% in dinner and 14% in snacks, while rate of saturated fat in dinner is 37% and 21% in snacks, on other hand added sugar in dinner is 23% and 42% in snacks, the ratio of added sugar in snacks is higher then in sodium and saturated fat.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the charts and provided relevant comparisons. You covered all four meal categories and the three nutrient types. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing figures rather than synthesizing the data into a more analytical summary. For instance, you could have grouped the nutrients by their highest consumption meals more effectively to highlight the 'main features' rather than just reporting individual percentages. The overview is present but could be more clearly separated from the body paragraphs to ensure the main trends are immediately obvious to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the flow within paragraphs is somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on 'while' and 'and' to connect clauses. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as 'To begin with' and 'Meanwhile'. Additionally, some sentences are run-on, such as the final sentence of the response, which contains multiple clauses joined only by commas, making the progression of ideas feel slightly cluttered. Improving the use of transition words and varying sentence structure would enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, using terms like 'percentages', 'nutrients', 'consumed', and 'ratio'. However, there are several instances of word choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'un healthy' (unhealthy), 'more then' (more than), and 'break fast' (breakfast). The repetition of 'rate of' and 'ratio of' suggests a limited range of academic vocabulary. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise synonyms for 'higher' or 'lower' and avoid repeating the same phrasing for every data point.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The pie chart show'), incorrect preposition usage, and confusion between 'then' and 'than'. Punctuation is also an area for improvement, as several long sentences lack appropriate conjunctions or full stops, leading to run-on structures. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.

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

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