Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-28

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 fat and added sugar in typical three meals with snacks consumed in the United States. It is evident that dinner had the highest quantity of sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks had the highest quantity of added sugar.

In breakfast, quantity of all three nutrients ranged between 14% and 16%. However, in lunch quantity of sodium was at the highest 29%, followed by saturated fat 26% and the least nutrient used was added sugar in comparison with others. Surprisingly, the highest quantity of added sugar was used in snacks at 42% and only 23% was used in dinner, which was the least nutrient used in dinner as compared to other two. Similarly, sodium was more in dinner about 43%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead in added sugar. You also report several correct figures, including 29% sodium and 26% saturated fat at lunch, and 42% added sugar in snacks. However, the account is only partial: it omits the saturated-fat peak at dinner (37%) and the snack figures for sodium and saturated fat, and it does not clearly compare all three nutrients across meals. The phrase “least nutrient used” is also imprecise because the chart shows percentages, not quantities used. The response is 21 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. Develop the overview and include the key comparisons more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable structure: an opening overview is followed by details about breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Surprisingly” and “Similarly” help connect some points. Nevertheless, the progression is not consistently clear. The second paragraph moves from breakfast to lunch, then snacks, then dinner, so the comparisons feel somewhat scattered rather than organised around a clear pattern. “Similarly” does not make the relationship to the preceding point especially clear, and “the least nutrient used” is repeated without a precise reference. Grouping the meal comparisons—for example, first describing dinner and snacks as the extremes, then covering breakfast and lunch—would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average percentages,” “highest quantity” and “ranged between,” and the reader can understand the main comparisons. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Quantity” and “used” suggest amounts of food or nutrients rather than proportions shown in the charts; “share” or “percentage” would be more accurate. The phrase “the least nutrient used” is awkward and repeated, while “more in dinner” is not a natural way to describe a chart value. Aim for precise reporting language and vary terms such as “accounted for,” “represented” and “proportion.” This would make the description more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several understandable sentence forms, including a contrast clause with “whereas” and a sentence beginning “However.” Most of the intended meaning remains clear, but grammatical control is uneven. In “In breakfast, quantity of all three nutrients ranged,” the article is missing before “quantity,” and the meal preposition is not well formed. “In lunch quantity of sodium was at the highest 29%” also needs clearer sentence structure and punctuation. The final sentence, “Similarly, sodium was more in dinner about 43%,” lacks a grammatical comparison pattern. Practise accurate article use and constructions such as “at dinner, sodium accounted for 43%.” More consistently controlled complex sentences would improve clarity.

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