Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-12

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 illustration give information about the average percentage of nutrients in four different meals that may be unhealthy if consumed too much. Overall, the dinner contain highest amount of the sodium and saturated fat, and snacks contain highest amount of added sugar.

There are three pie charts showing the percentages of nutrients. The first pie chart shows that breakfast contains 14 percent of the sodium and snacks have similar ammount of sodium like in breakfast. The lunch contains 29 percent of sodium while dinner have highest amount of sodium in it.

The second pie chart shows that breakfast contains least amount of saturated fat and luunch contains 26 percent of whole meal. The snacks contains 21 percents while the dinner contains highest amount of the saturated fat. The third pie chart illustrate that breakfast contaminated with 16 percent and lunch with 19 percent of the added sugar. The dinner contains 23 percent of the add sugar while the snacks contains highet amount of added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead in added sugar. The response also reports the key meal figures for all three nutrients, and the comparisons are generally consistent with the charts. This gives the reader a relevant summary of the data. However, some features are less fully explained: for example, you do not compare the relative distribution across all meals in the overview, and the statement that breakfast has the least saturated fat could be made more precise by noting that it is tied with breakfast’s 16% added-sugar figure only within that separate chart, not across nutrients. A clearer overview of the contrasting dinner and snack patterns, supported by selected comparisons, would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by discussion of the three charts. This makes the information broadly easy to locate, and phrases such as “The second pie chart” help signal the shift between topics. However, progression within the body is somewhat mechanical, with repeated openings such as “The … pie chart shows” and repeated use of “contains.” Some links between figures are also missing, so the report reads more like a list than a connected comparison. Grouping the dinner and snack contrasts together, or using clearer comparison links such as “whereas” and “by contrast,” would improve flow. Check references carefully too, so each meal and nutrient remains clear as you move between charts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main data, including “percentage,” “nutrients,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive, which makes parts of the report less natural. For example, “contaminated with 16 percent” is not an appropriate way to describe a nutrient share, and “highest amount” is repeated where “largest proportion” would be more precise. There are also spelling errors such as “ammount,” “luunch,” and “highet,” alongside the awkward phrase “similar ammount of sodium like.” Aim for accurate chart-reporting collocations and vary the language used to describe proportions and comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of sentence forms, including an overview with two linked clauses and longer sentences that report several figures. The main meaning is usually understandable, but errors in agreement and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “The illustration give” instead of “The illustration gives,” “the dinner contain” instead of “dinner contains,” and “dinner have highest amount,” which also needs an article. In “The lunch contains 29 percent of sodium while dinner have highest amount,” the verb forms and article use are not controlled. There is some repetition of simple sentence patterns, so practise combining comparisons accurately while maintaining subject–verb agreement and correct articles.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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