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.
Sample Response
The given line graph gives information on the pH levelamount of acid produced in theour mouth by eating sugar and honey made from three different sourcesresources namely fruit sugar, cane sugar and honeynamely fruit, sugarcane and honey. The graph alsoAlso, the graph estimates the time each sweetener takestime taken by them to reach different acid levels which are related to tooth decaythe tooth decay.
The maximum level of acidity produced by sugar content is reached 5 minutes after consuming them reaching up to 3.5 pH for sugarcane, 4 pH for fruit sugar and 5 pH for honey. After this time, theAfter this time the acidity level declines for cane and fruit sugar, whereas honey's acidity remains stable until 10 minutesit is sustained for 10 minutes for honey. Honey takes approximately 15 minutes to reach the pH of 5.5. It is at this pH thatat this pH at which tooth decay is unlikely. Fruit sugar takes 20 minutes and cane sugar takes the longesttakes the maximum time to reach this safety level. After 40 minutes all three sugars reach a neutral pH of 7neutral pH that is 7.
Acidity promotes tooth decay which results in cavitiesteeth cavities. Proper brushing and rinsing the mouthmouth washing can eliminate sugar particles and may protect teeth from the hazards of high acid levels.
From the given data it is clear that cane sugar has the highest acidity and its acid content above safety level is sustained for the longest period in our mouth. Therefore it should be avoided. Honey is the safest sugary food which causes lowest risk of tooth decayleast chances of tooth decay.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response offers a detailed, well-organised interpretation of the curves and draws the important conclusion that cane sugar poses the greatest risk while honey is the safest. Most timings and pH values are accurate, though a few descriptions blur the distinction between acidity and pH, and the brushing advice is unsupported by the visual. Prioritise precise scientific wording and evidence directly traceable to the graph.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response accurately compares the main pH patterns, identifies the safety threshold, and discusses relevant implications for dental health.
State that honey returns to neutral pH by about 25 minutes and avoid adding hygiene claims that are not shown by the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion
Clear paragraphs separate the introduction, graph details, dental implications, and final comparison, with generally logical progression.
Move the key comparison of cane sugar and honey into an earlier overview so the main trend frames the detailed data.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied for describing acidity and risk, but several collocations are awkward or scientifically imprecise.
Use 'sources of sugar', 'pH falls', 'risk of tooth decay', and 'causes the lowest risk' for greater precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms conveys the analysis clearly, although article use, pronoun reference, and some relative clauses are not consistently controlled.
Clarify subjects and references, for example: 'Each substance reaches its lowest pH five minutes after consumption'.
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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.
Your response
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