Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-29
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 illustrates the proportion of meals in terms of nutrients they contained and typically consumed in the USA.
It is clear that sodium is the dominant nutrient in the dinner, while the breakfast contains the less amount of all three nutrients.
The dinner that consumed in the USA contains 43% of sodium which is the dominant part of the meal. 29% of sodium is added in lunch which, while both the snacks and breakfast have same amount of sodium nutrient in it and each share the 14% of proportion.
On the other hand, the saturated fat is part of the dinner which accounted at 37% in the dinner meals. Lunch contains 26% saturated fat in it, while snacks and breakfast against contains less amount of saturated fat and shares 21% and 16% respectively.
Snacks contains 42% of sugar in it and are the most sweetest above all. Dinner and lunch have added 23% and 19% of sugar in it respectively. The breakfast again contains the less amount of sugar in it and only shares 16%.
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 student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars across the four meal categories. An overall trend or overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that sodium dominates dinner while breakfast contains the lowest amounts of all three nutrients. Key data points are correctly cited from the charts, such as dinner containing 43% of sodium and snacks accounting for 42% of added sugars. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting and expression, such as claiming snacks and breakfast have the 'same amount of sodium' at 14% (which is correct, but awkwardly phrased), and minor awkwardness in grouping. Nevertheless, all major comparisons between meals and nutrients are adequately presented, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then body paragraphs dedicated to individual nutrients (sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars). Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'On the other hand' and 'respectively'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in repetitive sentence structures ('The dinner that consumed', 'Lunch contains', 'Snacks contains') and somewhat clunky transitions between sentences. Paragraphing is present and separates the content appropriately, but overall progression feels slightly formulaic rather than smoothly integrated. This matches the criteria for Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data reporting such as 'proportion', 'dominant', 'accounted at', and 'respectively'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'contains the less amount' instead of 'the lowest amount', 'most sweetest' instead of 'the sweetest', and 'the dinner that consumed'. Furthermore, word forms are sometimes misused, as in 'the saturated fat is part of the dinner which accounted at 37% in the dinner meals'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5 or 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses ('which is the dominant part of the meal') and comparative structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The pie charts illustrates', 'Snacks contains'), passive voice errors ('The dinner that consumed'), and comparative/superlative errors ('contains the less amount', 'most sweetest'). While these errors rarely impede communication, they occur frequently throughout the response, preventing the text from reaching Band 6.5. Control over simple sentences is generally good, but complex structures often carry minor errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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