Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-31

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 supplied pie charts compare the proportion on meals, which consist of three types of nutrients such as sodium, saturated fat and added sugar and may be unhealthy if eaten in higher quantity. At a glance, it reveals that USA citizens cosume higher amount of sodium and saturated fat in dinner, while added sugar was higher in lunch. However, these all nutrients was eaten in lower quantity in breakfast.

To commence with, sodium and saturated fat almost follow the same sequence such as these were higher in dinner and lower in breakfast, but sodium was also lower in snacks. In lunch, nutrients were also almost equal in lunch, but added sugar reversed the flow.

On contrast, added sugar was higher in snacks, and lower in breakfast. It was nearly a quater in dinner and lunch contain about 19% of added sugar. These all nutrients could cause illness when it consumed in greater amount.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast that dinner accounts for the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. You also include several relevant figures, such as 42% for added sugar in snacks and 19% in lunch. However, the overview is not fully accurate: added sugar is highest in snacks, not lunch, and breakfast is not the lowest meal for every nutrient because sodium is equally low in snacks at 14%. The comparison that lunch values are “almost equal” is also unclear, since the three figures are 29%, 26% and 19%. A more precise overview and clearer comparisons across all three nutrients would make the response more complete; the health comment does not add chart information.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs comparing the nutrients. Linking phrases such as “To commence with” and “On contrast” signal a shift, and the reader can generally follow the intended comparisons. However, progression is weakened by unclear or repetitive phrasing, particularly “In lunch, nutrients were also almost equal in lunch,” which repeats the meal and does not specify the comparison. “These all nutrients” is also an unclear reference, and the final health statement moves away from describing the chart. Organise the body around the clearest patterns, and use precise references such as “the three nutrient shares” or “the figures for lunch” to make connections more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “higher quantity,” “sequence,” and “reversed,” and the nutrient names are generally clear. There is some attempt to vary expression, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing percentages: “proportion on meals,” “higher amount,” and “lower quantity” would be better expressed as shares or percentages. “Reversed the flow” is vague, while “On contrast” is an incorrect phrase choice. Spelling errors such as “cosume” and “quater” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting language and check spelling; terms such as “accounted for,” “highest share,” and “lowest proportion” would suit this chart more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “three types of nutrients … and may be unhealthy” and a contrast introduced by “while.” The main message is usually understandable, but some errors in agreement, tense, articles and sentence construction remain. For example, “these all nutrients was eaten” has incorrect agreement and an awkward passive form; “added sugar was higher in lunch” also uses an unsuitable preposition and tense for chart data. The sentence beginning “It was nearly a quater in dinner and lunch contain…” combines clauses without a clear grammatical connection. Use present tense consistently for chart descriptions and check subject–verb agreement and clause boundaries.

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