Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20
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 4.5)
The pie chart illustrates the average ratio of three types of nutrients i.e; sodium, saturated fat, added sugar.
The first category is sodium, firstly in breakfast the ratio of sodium is 14% the ratio in snacks is same as that of breakfast whereas in lunch the percentage is 29% on the other hand, in dinner the percentile is 43%.
The next category is saturated fat in breakfast the amount of saturated fat is 16% whereas in snacks the ratio is 21% on the other hand, in lunch the percentage is 26% meanwhile in dinner, the count is 26%.
The third category is added sugar, in breakfast the amount of added sugar is 16% whereas in lunch the ratio is 19%, on the other hand, in dinner 23% of added sugar is consumed meanwhile in dinner, 23% of added sugar is intaken
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The response attempts to present the data from the pie charts regarding nutrient consumption in the USA, accurately reporting figures for sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar across different meal times (e.g., stating that sodium in dinner is 43% and breakfast is 14%). However, there is a data error for saturated fat at dinner, where the student mistakenly claims the count is 26% when the chart clearly shows 37%. Furthermore, the response completely lacks an overview, which is a crucial requirement for Academic Task 1. Finally, the word count falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 141 words. These combined issues restrict the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The essay lacks proper paragraphing and organization. Instead of grouping ideas logically or providing a cohesive overview, the student lists each nutrient in a repetitive, mechanical style. Phrases like 'the first category is', 'the next category is', and 'the third category is' are used mechanically, and sentences run together with excessive comma splices and repetitive structures ('on the other hand', 'meanwhile'). Paragraph breaks are poorly handled, with the final sentence floating awkwardly. Logical progression is severely hindered by the lack of an overarching summary.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used throughout the response is very basic and repetitive. Words like 'ratio', 'percentage', 'amount', and 'category' are reused constantly. The student attempts some variation by using terms like 'percentile' (incorrectly used for percentage) and 'intaken' (which is non-standard and awkward). Spelling is generally acceptable, but word choices lack flexibility and precision, demonstrating a very limited lexical range suitable for this task.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The grammatical structures are extremely repetitive and simplistic. The text is dominated by run-on sentences joined by commas rather than proper conjunctions or full stops (e.g., 'The next category is saturated fat in breakfast the amount of saturated fat is 16% whereas in snacks the ratio is 21% on the other hand...'). There is a complete lack of punctuation at the end of sentences in several places. While simple subject-verb structures are generally understandable, the lack of control over complex sentence boundaries and punctuation causes frequent disruption for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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