Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-11

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 compares the average proportion of sodium ,saturated fats and added sugars present in the regular meals in USA and their health effect if consumed extra.

Overall, sodium and saturated fats held the largest share in dinner and snacks contain more than 42% added sugar and breakfast contained the smallest portion of all three minerals.

The sodium and saturated fats contributed the highest portion in dinner with the figure of 43% and 37% respectively with the lowest percentage of added sugar of 23% .However, lunch comprised of highest figure of sodium with 29% ratio followed by 26% saturated fats and lowest cocentration of 19% addded sugar.

Furthermore, the share of all three minerals remain nearly consistent in breakfast with less than a quater whereas snacks contains the highest portion of added sugar with the figure of 42% followed by 21% saturated fats and 14% sodium.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar, and you include several accurate figures. However, the overview is not fully reliable: “breakfast contained the smallest portion of all three” is inaccurate because snacks, at 14%, have the same sodium share as breakfast, and breakfast is not the lowest for every nutrient. Some comparisons are also unclear, such as saying lunch “comprised of highest figure of sodium” without specifying that this is only among the meals other than dinner. The response is 147 words, below the required 150. To strengthen coverage, give a precise overview of the contrasting dinner and snack peaks, then report the remaining meal figures accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting details. Sequencing the meals and using “Overall,” “However,” and “Furthermore” helps the reader follow the comparisons. Cohesion is not always smooth, though. The overview combines several claims in one sentence, and the transition “However” does not clearly explain the contrast between dinner and lunch. Repeated use of “with the figure” also makes the reporting feel mechanical, while the final paragraph shifts from breakfast to snacks without a clear linking comparison. Organise the details by the main patterns—dinner’s high sodium and fat, then snacks’ high sugar—and use clearer references and varied linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average proportion,” “share,” “highest portion,” and “percentage,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some range, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing the data: “minerals” does not describe sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar collectively, and “health effect” is not shown by the chart. Phrases such as “comprised of highest figure” and “concentration” are also awkward in this context. Spelling errors in “cocentration,” “addded,” and “quater” are noticeable. Aim for precise terms such as “nutrients” or “components,” and use natural reporting collocations like “accounted for” or “made up.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “whereas” and a sentence beginning “Although” is not present, so the range remains somewhat limited. Some sentences communicate the intended comparisons, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “sodium and saturated fats held the largest share in dinner” has an unclear singular/plural relationship, and “snacks contains” does not agree in number. The opening sentence also has awkward sentence construction, while punctuation spacing is inconsistent, as in “23% .However”. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main data, but they reduce accuracy. Check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and practise combining comparisons in controlled complex sentences.

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