Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth, which can cause tooth decay. (High acid levels are measured by low pH values) Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health.

Same questionCompare 12 different answers (Band 5–7)

Sample Response

1

The graph depicts a comparison of acid levels in the mouthacid level in mouth after consuming sugar and honeysugar/honey. One axis of the graph contains pH level, whichPH level which indicates aciditymeasures acidic level and the other axis shows the time after consumptionreflects timeline after consuming, spaced out equally at five-minute intervalswith 5 minutes gap. According to the graphAs per the graph, tooth decay starts when the PH level falls belowbeneath 5.5 on the scale and it is quite clear that PH level falls rapidly after consuming all three foodscommodities. To start with, the PH level in theour mouth is at 7 and begins to decline after consuming each item and the rate at which it falls is greatest for cane sugaris maximum in case of cane sugar. It crosses the danger level within a span of 5 minutes and by the end of 5 minutes, PH level reaches its lowest point in case of cane sugar i.e. 3.5 and the same for fruit sugar and honey, which are 4.25 and 4.75 respectively. After 5 minutes has elapsed, the trend reversesthe trend line tends to be inverted and from this point onwardfrom here on the pH level begins to recoverthe PH level initiate its recovery for fruit and cane sugarin case of fruit/cane sugar though it remains at its lowest in the case of honey for a further five-minute perioda further 5 minute-period. At the 10-minute markOn reaching 10 minute-mark, PH level in case of honey seems to recover at brisk pace taking over the recovery of other items and reaching the safe zone within a span of 15 minutes. Fruit sugar PH level crosses the line before 20 minutes but cane sugar PH level took almost double the time of honey to recover from tooth decay. Honey PH level normalise by the end of 25 minute's mark and the same is 32 minutes and 40 minutes in case of fruit sugar and cane sugar respectively.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response gives a detailed, well-selected account of the rapid pH falls and subsequent recoveries, and it clearly connects the 5.5 threshold with dental risk. Its main weakness is occasional numerical imprecision alongside cumbersome, error-prone sentence construction. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the key comparisons into distinct paragraphs and verify the exact times when each substance returns above the danger threshold and reaches neutral pH.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

7.5
Scoring rule

The main pattern, lowest pH values, recovery order, and dental-risk threshold are covered well, with only minor timing inaccuracies.

Next step

Distinguish clearly between crossing back above pH 5.5 and returning to pH 7, especially for fruit and cane sugar.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.5
Scoring rule

The chronological sequence is easy to follow, but the entire report forms one dense paragraph and several long sentences carry too many comparisons.

Next step

Separate the overview, initial five-minute decline, and subsequent recovery into distinct paragraphs with shorter comparison sentences.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.5
Scoring rule

A broad range of vocabulary describes acidity, timing, and recovery, though terms such as 'commodities', 'inverted', and 'recover from tooth decay' are imprecise.

Next step

Use precise scientific chart language such as 'substances', 'the trend reversed', 'pH rose', and 'the level entered the safe range'.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5
Scoring rule

Complex structures are used extensively and meaning remains clear, but agreement, article, tense, and possessive errors recur throughout.

Next step

Check subject-verb agreement and article use in recurring phrases, and maintain the present tense consistently when describing the graph.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth, which can cause tooth decay. (High acid levels are measured by low pH values) Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health.

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