Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-09

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 three pie chart shows the average percentage of sodium, sarurated fats and added sugars in regular meals consumed in the US. If eaten too much all of these can be very unhealthy. The first pie chart shows the percentage of sodium. It is taken mostly at dinner, 43 percent. Then 29 percent at lunch and least in breakfast and snacks that is 14 percent each. Next comes saturated fat which is also consumed mostly at dinner , 37 percent. At lunch, breakfast and snacks the amounts are 26, 16 and 21 percent respectectively. The finalpie chart shows the consumption of added sugars in meals. This nutrient can be found mostly at snacks, the amount is 42 percent, which is a lot. At dinner people in US consume

23 percent of added sugar. The amount is 19 and 16 percent respectectively for lunch and breakfast. From analyzing the pie charts we can see a common pattern that is people consume sodium and saturated fats mostly during dinner and added sugars during snacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You report the main figures accurately, including dinner as the largest source of sodium and saturated fat, and snacks as the largest source of added sugar. The final sentence also identifies this useful overall pattern. This gives the response relevant coverage of all three charts. However, the overview is brief and appears only at the end, while the body mainly lists figures in chart order. Some comparisons could be made more explicit—for example, saturated fat is more evenly distributed than sodium, and breakfast and snacks have equal sodium shares. The phrase “which is a lot” is an unsupported evaluation rather than a precise comparison. A clearer opening overview followed by selected comparisons would make the key features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a generally understandable sequence, moving from sodium to saturated fat and then added sugar. Connectors such as “Next” and “The final pie chart” help signal these shifts, and the closing sentence attempts to draw the information together. However, the writing is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the overview is not clearly separated from the detailed reporting. The repeated chart-by-chart pattern also makes the progression somewhat mechanical, and “From analyzing the pie charts” introduces a conclusion that largely repeats earlier information. Organise the response into a short overview and one or two detail paragraphs, and use comparisons across nutrients or meals to create a clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “sodium,” “saturated fats,” “added sugars,” and “consumed,” so the subject is clear. There is some variation in how the figures are described, but several expressions are imprecise or informal for an academic summary: “taken mostly at dinner,” “which is a lot,” and “people in US consume.” Spelling errors such as “sarurated” and “respectectively,” as well as the joined form “finalpie,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise chart language such as “accounted for,” “represented,” and “the proportion was,” and proofread carefully. This would make the vocabulary more controlled and appropriate without requiring unnecessarily complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, and the figures are generally expressed in structures that readers can follow. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. For example, “The three pie chart shows” has a subject–verb and plural agreement problem, while “in the US” needs an article in “people in the US.” The sentence beginning “Then 29 percent at lunch” is a fragment because it lacks a main verb. There are also inconsistent spaces before commas and full stops, as in “dinner , 37 percent.” Use complete sentences when reporting each comparison, check singular and plural agreement, and proofread punctuation. These changes would improve accuracy while preserving the range of sentence forms you already attempt.

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