Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-07
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 average proportion of three unhealthy nutrients like sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals in the US: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Overall, dinner contain the most sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the most added sugar. Breakfast always has the lowest percentage of all the three nutrients.
Initially, Dinner contains the highest amount of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), as well as nearly a quarter of daily added sugar (23%) in dinner.
Snacks contains the highest amount of Added sugar (42%) and a noticeable amount of saturated fat (21%), but only 14% of sodium.
On the other hand, Lunch has 29% sodium,26% saturated fat, and 19% added sugar.
Breakfast supplies the smallest amount of all nutrients. There is only 14% sodium in lunch, While 16% saturated fat in lunch , and only 16% of added sugar in lunch of daily consumption.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features of the three nutrients across the four meal types. You successfully highlight that dinner is the primary source of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks are the main source of added sugar. However, the final paragraph contains significant factual errors; you state that breakfast has the lowest nutrients, but then describe lunch data as if it were breakfast, which contradicts the provided charts. To reach a higher band, ensure that your data reporting is precise and consistent with the visual information provided. The overview is clear, but the accuracy of the supporting details needs improvement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific details. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Initially', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, the progression within the final paragraph is confusing due to the contradictory information mentioned earlier. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as the repetitive use of 'in lunch' at the end of the text. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that pronouns or references clearly point to the correct data would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'nutrients', and 'consumption'. There are some minor errors in word choice and capitalization, such as 'Added sugar' (unnecessary capitalization) and 'Dinner' (unnecessary capitalization). You also repeat the word 'amount' frequently. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'amount' or 'percentage' and ensure that your terminology remains consistent throughout the report. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('dinner contain', 'Snacks contains') and punctuation errors (missing spaces after commas, e.g., 'sodium,26%'). The final paragraph is particularly problematic with repetitive phrasing and confusing structure ('While 16% saturated fat in lunch , and only 16% of added sugar in lunch of daily consumption'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and punctuation would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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