Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-19
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 chart illustrates the average proportion of of three different types of nutrients, found in meal. If eaten too much can cause negative effect on the health .
Overall, the diagram shows the consumption of different nutrients in the meals of the USA. There are three nutrients mentioned, sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar linked with a variety of meals and calculated in percentage.
It's clearly visible that the portion of sodium in dinner is considerable high with 43%, whereas, saturated fat 37%, and added sugar 23%. However, the proportion of sodium in lunch is 29% that's slightly higher from the saturated fat and added sugar.
Moreover, The consumption of snacks in added sugar covers maximum percentage with 42%. While, the snacks have 14% sodium and 21% saturated fat. In addition, the percentage of nutrients in breakfast varies with 14% sodium, 16% saturated fat, and 23% added sugar.
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 attempts to cover the main features of the charts, noting the highest values for dinner (sodium at 43%) and snacks (added sugar at 42%), along with some comparisons across meals and nutrients. However, there are some inaccuracies and omissions in data reporting; for example, saturated fat in dinner is stated as 37%, which is correct, but other comparisons are slightly disjointed. Additionally, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement at 148 words, which impacts the Task Achievement score by slightly limiting the full development of ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs discussing specific meal types. There is a logical progression moving from dinner to lunch and then snacks/breakfast. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly used, as seen with 'It's clearly visible that' and repetitive sentence openings. Paragraphing is adequate, but overall cohesion could be smoother to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, such as 'proportion', 'consumption', and 'considerable'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'average proportion of of three', 'found in meal', and 'considerable high' instead of 'considerably high'. Furthermore, word choice limitations prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'If eaten too much can cause negative effect on the health' (which has a missing subject and awkward phrasing) and 'whereas, saturated fat 37%'. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles and preposition errors ('in breakfast' instead of 'at breakfast'). While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of grammatical slips keeps this criterion at a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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