Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-01
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 chart illustrates the breakdown of average percentage of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA.
Overall it is clear that, sodium and saturated fat were highest percentage in dinner while snacks were show highest percentage of added suger in the typical meals consumed in the USA. Sodium and saturated fat were consist very lower percentage in breakfast but added sugar shows the lowet percentage in breakfast.
On the one hand, Sodium and saturated fat were both represents the highest percentage approximately 43% and 37%. Sodium show the same percentages in dinner and snacks. While lunch represented the second highest percentage around 29%. Lunch were the second highest percentage containing saturated fat approximately 26%, followed closely by snacks which contain 21% saturated fat. Breakfast show the lowest percentage around 1
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response only partially addresses the task and fails to meet the minimum length requirement, being 13 words short of the 150-word limit. While the writer attempts to present an overview and mention several data points from the pie charts, the information is sometimes inaccurate or incomplete. For example, the writer claims that 'Sodium show the same percentages in dinner and snacks', which contradicts the data showing 43% for dinner and 14% for snacks. Furthermore, the final sentence trails off incomplete with 'Breakfast show the lowest percentage around 1'. The overall summary captures some general trends, but the execution is limited and contains factual errors regarding the visual data.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some basic organisation in the response, featuring an introduction, body paragraphs, and transition phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'While'. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is hindered by repetitive phrasing and abrupt shifts. Paragraphing is attempted, but the concluding part of the text cuts off prematurely. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, such as starting a paragraph with 'On the one hand' when no contrasting 'On the other hand' follows. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of nutrients smoothly across meals.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, with attempts to use topic-specific terms like 'nutrients', 'sodium', 'saturated fats', and 'added sugars'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as spelling 'sugar' as 'suger', using 'consist' instead of 'constitute' or 'account for', and writing 'lowet' instead of 'lowest'. Word choice is sometimes awkward, as seen in phrases like 'were show highest percentage' and 'were consist very lower percentage'. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control of word forms and collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple and flawed attempts at complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples include 'sodium and saturated fat were highest percentage' (missing articles and copula verbs), 'snacks were show', 'Lunch were the second highest', and 'Breakfast show'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing periods and commas. These frequent errors cause significant strain and difficulty for the reader throughout the text.
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