Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-14

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 5.0)

The bar charts illustrates the average proportion of three different nutrients(sodium, saturated fats and added sugars) contains in a typical meals consumed in America.

Overall, the charts shows that people used more nutrient in dinner than other meals. while in breakfast, proportions are slight the same in all bar chart. Additional, in snacks, added sugar was most used than in other meal types.

For dinner, sodium contains 43% and 37% in saturated fats while added sugar records 23%.

For lunch, sodium is 29% and 26% saturated fats and added sugar contains 19%.

Nutrient values in breakfast records slightly changes with 14% with sodium while it was 16% in saturated fats and added sugar respectively.

For snacks production, added sugar tend mostly used and it contains 42%, saturated fats 21% and sodium is 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarize the provided charts by reporting figures for dinner, lunch, breakfast, and snacks. However, the word count is 133 words, failing the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length impacts the overall development of the task. While the student identifies main features such as dinner having the highest sodium and snacks having the most added sugar, the comparisons are somewhat mechanical and the overall overview lacks a sophisticated synthesis of the data. The first overview sentence attempts to summarize the main trend, but key comparative features across all four meal types are underdeveloped due to the brevity of the response. Consequently, the score reflects an incomplete task fulfillment caused by the length penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into distinct paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for different meals. However, cohesion is frequently faulty and mechanical. Expressions like 'Additional,' and 'For snacks production,' are awkward and used incorrectly. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and logical progression between sentences is disrupted by abrupt shifts in data reporting. Paragraphing is present, but the overall structural flow lacks seamless transitions. While the reader can follow the general grouping of information by meal type, the lack of sophisticated cohesive devices and awkward linking phrases keep this criterion firmly in the mid-band range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic reporting, including terms like 'proportion', 'nutrients', 'sodium', 'saturated fats', and 'added sugars'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'contains in a typical meals' (should be 'contained in typical meals'), 'used more nutrient' (should be 'consumed more nutrients'), 'proportions are slight the same' (should be 'proportions are slightly the same'), and 'added sugar was most used' (should be 'was consumed the most'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with inaccuracy, and spelling or grammatical form slips are evident ('snacks production' instead of 'snacks'). The lexical range is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses beginning with 'while'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. Examples include verb agreement and tense issues like 'The bar charts illustrates' (should be 'illustrate'), preposition errors like 'contains in', and missing subjects or awkward phrasing such as 'Nutrient values in breakfast records slightly changes with 14% with sodium'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical slips are common enough to prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. The majority of sentences contain errors or awkward phrasing.

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

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