Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-20

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 charts illustrate the average percentages of sodium,saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA.

Overall, Dinner meals consumed in the USA in sodium and saturated accounted for the largest proportion and showed a downward trend in added sugar. While cosumption of snacks increased significantly over the period.Breakfast increased and remained stable throughout the period.However,lunch declined steadily.

In sodium, dinner and lunch had relatively high levels of consumption, at roughly 43% and 29% respectively. Dinner experienced a slight steady decrease, reaching nearly 37% and 23% in saturated fat and added sugar. Similarly, lunch figure declined slightly from 26% in saturated fat to 19% in added sugar.

In contrast, Breakfast began at apporixmately 14% in sodium but witnessed a significant increase to roughly 16% in saturated fat, remained stable at added sugar.

Meanwhile, the consumption of snacks in sodium stood at 14%, it then increased to 21% and 42% in saturated fat and added sugar respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart topic and include several relevant figures, such as dinner’s 43% share of sodium and snacks’ 42% share of added sugar. However, the overview is not consistently accurate: these charts compare meal types, not changes over time, so descriptions such as “downward trend,” “increased,” and “declined steadily” misrepresent the data. Dinner is highest for sodium and saturated fat, while snacks are highest for added sugar; this key contrast should be stated clearly. Some comparisons are also unclear—for example, “lunch figure declined” compares different nutrients rather than a trend. To strengthen the response, organise the main features around the highest and lowest meal shares and report the figures without implying a sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it uses linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “Meanwhile.” However, the progression is weakened by treating the categories as a timeline: the overview says snacks “increased” and lunch “declined,” although the charts show separate meal categories. The detail paragraphs also move between meals and nutrients in a way that makes comparisons difficult to follow. Some transitions, including “Similarly,” do not clearly connect the figures that follow. Grouping the information consistently—for example, dinner and lunch together, then breakfast and snacks—would make the comparisons easier to track. Check punctuation around transitions and avoid sentence fragments such as “While consumption of snacks increased significantly over the period.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of chart-related vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “proportion,” “accounted for,” and “consumption,” and the main subject remains understandable. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward choices. “Downward trend” and “increased significantly over the period” suggest time-based change, which is not shown; “levels of consumption” is also less precise than describing the percentage of each nutrient in a meal. Spelling slips such as “cosumption” and “apporixmately” reduce accuracy, while “Dinner meals” and “lunch figure” are not natural in context. Aim for precise comparison language such as “had the largest share” and “accounted for,” and proofread spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including “While…” and “but…” clauses, and several figures are expressed in understandable sentences. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. The sentence beginning “While cosumption of snacks…” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence, and “Meanwhile, the consumption of snacks in sodium stood at 14%, it then increased…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. In “Dinner meals … accounted for the largest proportion and showed,” the subject and meaning are not clearly controlled. Capitalisation is inconsistent (“Dinner,” “Breakfast”), and spacing around punctuation is uneven. Use complete clauses, separate joined sentences with a full stop or conjunction, and keep the subject clear when comparing meal categories.

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