Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-04

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 presented diagram outlines vital information about the three kinds of nutrients contain in typical meals such as sodium, saturated fat, added sugar in the USA.

Overall, the percentage of sodium and saturated fat are highest in dinner whereas added sugar is highest in given pie-chart. In contrast, percentage of sodium is lowest in both snacks and breakfast where saturated fat and sugar is lowest in breakfast.

Firstly, percentage of sodium, saturated fat and sugar in dinner is 43 percent, 37 percent and 23 percent respectively. In breakfast and snacks amount of sodium contain is same which is 14 percent and 29 percent is found in lunch. Saturated fat is found 26 percent in lunch, 21 percent in snacks and lowest in breakfast that is 16 percent.

Secondly, In the scenerio of sugar, in the snacks sugar contain 42 percent which is highest among all, 19 percent in lunch and 16 percent in breakfast.

Conclusion, In the USA most of the typical meals such as breakfast contain more nutrients like sodium and saturated fat similarly, added sugar is found high in snacks.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by identifying the highest and lowest percentages across the four meal times for the three nutrients. However, the coverage remains somewhat limited. The overview is partially flawed, as the statement that 'added sugar is highest in given pie-chart' is imprecise and lacks clarity regarding the specific category. Additionally, while key figures are reported, such as '43 percent' for sodium at dinner and '42 percent' for sugar in snacks, some comparisons lack sufficient development or precise contextual framing. To reach a higher level, the response would need a clearer overview of overarching trends and a more fully extended comparison of the data across all categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates some organisation with the use of introductory and concluding paragraphs, and attempts at sequencing markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Conclusion,'. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is disrupted by mechanical and awkward transitions, such as starting a paragraph with 'In the scenerio of sugar,'. Paragraphing is attempted, but some paragraphs are very brief and structurally disjointed. Furthermore, cohesive devices are sometimes inadequate or misused, and referencing is occasionally unclear, which prevents the essay from achieving a smooth and logical progression throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are persistent word form and collocation errors, such as 'nutrients contain' instead of 'nutrients contained', 'amount of sodium contain' instead of 'amount of sodium contained', and 'sugar contain' instead of 'sugar contains'. Spelling and lexical choices are also affected by these inaccuracies, such as 'scenerio' instead of 'scenario'. While the student attempts some topic-specific terms like 'nutrients', 'sodium', 'saturated fat', and 'added sugar', the range remains restricted and mechanical.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response employs a very limited range of structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and basic clause patterns. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty, featuring frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and missing articles or prepositions. Examples include 'the percentage of sodium and saturated fat are highest', where the plural verb does not agree properly, and 'lowest in breakfast', which lacks necessary articles. Frequent grammatical errors persist throughout the text, occasionally causing difficulty for the reader and restricting the complexity of the sentence structures.

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