Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-16

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 charts illustrate the standard ratio of three kinds of nutritents including sodium, saturated fats and added sugar in general meals in the United states. Perhaps, consuming them excessively will be unhealthy.

Overall, the consumption of sodium, and saturated fat is high in dinner as compared to added sugar. Conversely, snacks are made up of more sugar than sodium and saturated fat.

The 14% of breakfast and snacks consist of sodium. While in lunch and dinner the ratio is comparatively high by 29% and 43% respectively. However, only 16% of breakfast contains saturated fat, and the percentage of synthetic fat in lunch is 26%, in snacks 21%, and 37% in dinner.

Moreover, a major portion of snacks contain sugar around 42%, then16% in breakfast, 19% in dinner, and 23% in dinner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three nutrients and give a useful overview: sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner, while added sugar is highest in snacks. Several figures are also reported accurately, including sodium at 14% for breakfast and snacks and 43% at dinner. However, the account is only partial and contains a significant data error: added sugar is listed as 19% for dinner and 23% for dinner, whereas 19% is lunch and 23% is dinner. The comparison of saturated fat is also described as “synthetic fat,” which obscures the category. The response is 131 words, below the required 150, and this limits the detail available. Include all meal categories accurately and develop the key comparisons more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details. The overview’s contrast between dinner’s higher sodium and saturated fat and snacks’ higher sugar gives the reader a clear central pattern. However, the progression becomes less clear in the final paragraph: “then 16% in breakfast, 19% in dinner, and 23% in dinner” repeats dinner and leaves the meal comparisons confusing. Some linking is attempted with “Overall,” “Conversely,” and “Moreover,” but the sentence beginning “While in lunch and dinner” is not smoothly connected to the preceding statement. Organise the figures by nutrient and check that each comparison follows a clear sequence; this would make the cohesion more reliable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “percentage,” “consumption,” “comparatively high,” and “major portion,” and the reader can generally understand the topic. However, several choices are inaccurate or awkward for this data. “Standard ratio” is not a natural description of the chart, “nutritents” is misspelled, and “synthetic fat” incorrectly renames saturated fat. “General meals” is also less precise than “typical meals.” These errors make some information less clear and show that word choice and spelling are not yet consistently controlled. Use the chart’s category names accurately, and favour straightforward reporting language such as “accounted for” or “made up” when describing percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Conversely” and a longer sentence reporting several saturated-fat figures. Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but sentence construction and punctuation are uneven. “The 14% of breakfast and snacks consist of sodium” uses an awkward subject structure, while “While in lunch and dinner the ratio is comparatively high” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence fragment. The opening “Perhaps, consuming them excessively will be unhealthy” is also detached from the chart description. Improve control by using complete clauses—for example, “Sodium accounts for 14% at breakfast and in snacks”—and check punctuation when joining contrasting information.

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