Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-28
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 show the calculated percentage of daily routine meals consisting of three types of nutrients, all of which may cause unhealthy effects if eaten too much by individuals.
Overall, the percentage of dinner in all nutrients is the highest, while snacks have a decrease in sodium and saturated fat but have an increase in sugar. Lunch and breakfast fluctuated in all three nutrients respectively.
Firstly, breakfast has the same percentage of saturated fat and sugar at 16% and sodium at 14%, while dinner fluctuated in all nutrients. Dinner consumed 43% sodium, 37% saturated fat, and 23% sugar, which was the highest in all the meals.
Finally, lunch utilized 29% of sodium, 26% of saturated fat, and 19% sugar, while snacks had the highest sugar at almost 42%. The other two nutrients in snacks were sodium at 14% and saturated fat at 21% only. Overall, the chart shows different percen
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses the main features of the visual data by reporting key percentages for sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar across the four meal categories (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks). The overview statement identifies the dominant position of dinner across most nutrients and highlights the contrasting trend of snacks (highest in sugar, lower in sodium and saturated fat). Specific data points are accurately cited, such as dinner accounting for 43% of sodium and snacks reaching 42% for added sugar. However, the response cuts off mid-sentence at the very end ('Overall, the chart shows different percen'), which constitutes a minor omission in fully concluding the final observation. Despite this minor truncation, all core requirements of Academic Task 1 are met.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from an introductory statement, through an overview, and into detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction/overview from body paragraphs discussing breakfast/dinner and lunch/snacks. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', and 'Finally' are utilized to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and cohesive links occasionally feel somewhat mechanical, and the abrupt ending disrupts the flow of the final paragraph. Nonetheless, the information is logically sequenced throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'percentage', 'nutrient', 'fluctuated', and 'utilized'. There are successful attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'consecutive' or comparative structures, though some word choices are slightly unnatural (e.g., 'calculated percentage of daily routine meals consisting of three types of nutrients'). Spelling is generally accurate, and minor lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate a wider variety of precise synonyms to describe data trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'which was the highest in all the meals'). There are several error-free sentences, showing good control over basic grammatical structures. However, minor grammatical awkwardness appears, such as 'while lunch and breakfast fluctuated in all three nutrients respectively' (where 'respectively' is misused). Punctuation is generally sound, and errors do not impede comprehension, though a slightly wider range of error-free complex structures would be needed for a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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