Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-22
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 demonstrate the data of the average percentages in meals of three types of nutrients such as sodium, saturated fat and sugar, may be detrimental for health if overindulge consumed in the USA.
Overall, sodium and saturated fat had contributed high ratio in the dinner, moderate in lunch meals. While Snacks had majority portion of sugar, then saturated fat. Breakfast' meals contributed least percentages of all these three nutrients.
Morning meal had the lowest quatity of the sugar and saturated fat of 16% and 14% of the sodium. The greatest proportion of the saturated fat and sodium comprised in night meal with 37% and 43% respectively.
In lancheon meals had accounted to 29% of the sodium, 26% of the saturated fat and 19% of the sugar. Snacks had the least fractions of all these three nutrients with 16% of sugar and saturated fat. Moreover, 14% of sodium found in the light repast.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting the main nutrient percentages across four meal types (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks). An overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, and specific figures are cited in the subsequent paragraphs. However, there are notable inaccuracies and contradictions in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that 'Snacks had majority portion of sugar, then saturated fat' (which is correct at 42%), but later contradicts this regarding snacks by stating that 'Snacks had the least fractions of all these three nutrients with 16% of sugar and saturated fat. Moreover, 14% of sodium found in the light repast', completely missing the dominant sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%) for dinner, or confusing the meal categories. Because of these data misreadings and contradictory statements, the response achieves a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction and an overview. Logical progression is attempted, moving from an overview to specific meals. However, the cohesion and referencing are frequently faulty and confusing. The sudden shifts between naming meals directly and using synonyms like 'night meal', 'lancheon meals', and 'light repast' create ambiguity. Furthermore, cohesive devices are weak or misused, as seen in the sentence starting with 'While Snacks had majority portion...', which lacks a proper contrasting clause structure. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion suffers from abrupt transitions and referencing errors, placing this criterion at a Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common and varied items such as 'detrimental', 'overindulge', 'proportion', and synonyms like 'lancheon' and 'light repast'. However, there are numerous lexical errors, awkward collocations, and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text. Examples include 'overindulge consumed' (grammatical and lexical clash), 'contributed high ratio', 'quatity', and confusing 'fraction' to mean the lowest percentage when fractions usually denote parts of a whole. While communication is not entirely blocked, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies keeps the score at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with passive voice constructions, prepositions, and word forms. Examples of errors include 'sugar, may be detrimental' (missing relative pronoun/verb), 'Breakfast' meals contributed least percentages' (possessive error and missing article), 'greatest proportion of the saturated fat and sodium comprised in night meal' (incorrect active/passive voice use), and 'In lancheon meals had accounted to' (unnecessary preposition and faulty verb form). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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