Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-21

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 approximate proportions in typical meals of three different kinds of nutrients, which might be noxious for health if eaten too much.

Overall, the average percentage of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar's consumption in breakfast, luch, dinner and snacks has been given, providing highest and lowest of its intake in meals at USA.

First one is sodium which comprises of a total of 43% in dinner, which is an unhealthy ratio for a single feast. 29% in lunch, whereas, the identical value of14% is included in breakfast and snacks.

Second one is saturated fat, which is ingested about 37% in night time, concluding a higher percentage of it exceeding a healthy count. 26% in afternoon's lunch, 21% in the form of snacking and just around 16% is consumed in the morning.

Third one is the added sugar, contributing 42% of it in leisure time, 23% in the form of dinner, 19% at lunch break, and 16% while starting the day.

The healthy proportion of all these three types of nutrients is highly appreciated for proper body functioning and a better lifestyle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student attempts to cover all three nutrients and their breakdown across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, successfully referencing key high and low points. For instance, correctly identifying that sodium peaks in dinner at 43% and added sugar peaks in snacks at 42%. However, the overview sentence is somewhat confused and difficult to follow, containing spelling mistakes like 'luch' and awkward phrasing regarding 'meals at USA'. Additionally, the student includes a final evaluative sentence that adds personal opinion rather than remaining strictly objective and summarizing the data. While the main data points are reported, the lack of a clear, accurate overview and the inclusion of subjective commentary hold this criterion back to a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body details for each nutrient, and a concluding thought. However, the progression is quite mechanical and repetitive. The student relies heavily on list-like transitions such as 'First one is', 'Second one is', and 'Third one is', which creates a choppy flow rather than a cohesive summary of visual data. Paragraphing is also somewhat fragmented, with individual sentences forming their own paragraphs in places. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'which comprises of a total of 43% in dinner'. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, but cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, corresponding to a Band 5.5 or 6.0. Band 6 is awarded for a coherent overall arrangement despite faulty cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'proportions', 'nutrients', 'ingested', and 'leisure time' (though 'leisure time' is inaccurate for snacks). There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'noxious for health' instead of 'harmful to health', 'feast' instead of 'meal', and spelling errors like 'luch'. The phrase 'added sugar's consumption' contains an awkward possessive structure. While the range is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, the frequency of inappropriate word choices and minor slips limits the score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and incomplete sentence structures. Many sentences lack main verbs or rely on fragmented clauses, such as '29% in lunch, whereas, the identical value of 14% is included in breakfast and snacks' and 'Second one is saturated fat, which is ingested about 37% in night time, concluding a higher percentage of it exceeding a healthy count.' Punctuation and preposition use are frequently problematic (e.g., 'in night time', 'in meals at USA'). There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that require the reader to slow down, though meaning is generally decipherable. This aligns well with the Band 5 descriptor, where attempts at complex structures are often faulty and frequent errors occur.

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

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