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)

Eating too much junk food comes with risks. Consuming large amount of unhealthy food causes health problems. The three pie charts below illustrate the average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA.The typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall,in the typical meals of three types of nutrients, the highest proportion of sodium was consumed in dinner whilst it was lowest in snacks. Followed by saturated fats which was also highest in dinner and lowest in breaskfast. Sugar contributed highest proportion in snacks while lowest in breakfast.

43% of sodium was included in typical meals consumed in the USA followed by lunch at 29%, snacks and breakfast 14%. Fat was highest in dinner followed by lunch, snacks and breakfast at 26%, 21% and 16% respectively. The last nutirent sugar was highest in snacks followed by dinner at 23%, lunch at 19% and breakfast at 16%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main patterns accurately: dinner has the highest sodium and saturated-fat shares, while snacks lead for added sugar. Most figures are also reported correctly, including sodium at 43% for dinner and 29% for lunch, and added sugar at 42% for snacks. However, the overview says saturated fat is lowest at breakfast, but does not clearly state that snacks are second-highest for sugar or compare the overall distributions. The opening comments about junk food and health risks are not needed for this chart summary, and the sentence repeating the task description adds little. The response is 146 words, below the 150-word minimum; use the space to develop the key comparisons more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to figures, and the overview helps the reader identify the main highs and lows. However, progression is weakened by the two general statements about junk food before the chart introduction, followed by a sentence that repeats the task wording. The final paragraph lists figures in a compressed sequence, making comparisons harder to follow; for example, “snacks and breakfast 14%” would be clearer as a complete comparison. Linking phrases such as “followed by” are repeated, and punctuation spacing is inconsistent (“Overall,in” and “USA.The”). Organise the response into a concise introduction, a clear overview, and two logically grouped detail paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “consumed,” and “contributed,” and the nutrient names are generally appropriate. The range is adequate for describing the data, but some choices are imprecise or awkward: “Fat was highest in dinner” is less exact than “the saturated-fat share was highest at dinner,” while “Sugar contributed highest proportion” needs a more natural collocation. There are also spelling errors in “breaskfast” and “nutirent,” which reduce accuracy. Avoid repeating “highest” and “followed by” by using alternatives such as “accounted for,” “ranked second,” and “the smallest share.” These improvements would make the comparisons more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and more complex comparisons, and the main information remains understandable. Some grammatical errors are present, particularly in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “Overall, in the typical meals of three types of nutrients” is an incomplete and awkwardly formed opening, and “Followed by saturated fats which was also highest” is a fragment with a singular verb referring to a plural noun. In “Sugar contributed highest proportion,” an article is missing. The final data paragraph also relies on compressed list structures rather than complete, clearly controlled sentences. Use full clauses with accurate articles and agreement, such as “Saturated fat was highest at dinner and lowest at breakfast.”

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