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 provided line graph illustrates the changes in mouth acidity caused by consumingacid level in the mouth which is caused by the consumption of cane sugar, fruit sugar, and honey. As is shown in the graph, the higher the acid level, the lower the pH level. It is also illustrated that a pH level below 5.5 is the level at which tooth decay occursless than 5.5 is the stage when tooth decay occurs. It is significant that the initial pH level in theour mouth is 7, and it drops immediately after these foods are consumedthe moment we eat sugar. In the first 5 minutes, the graph shows that eating cane sugar results in a major drop in the pH level which reaches 3.5 and then begins to increase very slowly in half an hour. During this phase, tooth decay is most likely to happen. It is almost the same when eating fruit sugar, as the pH level drops to less than 4.5 in 5 minutes, and remains below the tooth-decay thresholdat the detrimental level for about 20 minutes. Moreover, the pH level drops to less than 5 after honey is consumedwhen honey is taken, and it poses a risk of tooth decaypossesses the threat of tooth decay for only 10 minutes. So, honey is the least dangerous among the three foodsthree kinds of food items. In summary, it appears that cane sugar is the most detrimental one for our dental health while honey is the safest one.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is its clear, accurate comparison of the three foods, supported by relevant pH values and a useful conclusion about relative dental risk. Its main limitation is that some timing descriptions are imprecise and the recovery patterns are not compared fully. Prioritise a sharper overview and systematic comparison of how long each food remains below the danger threshold and returns to neutral pH.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response presents a clear overview and accurately identifies the principal differences in minimum pH and dental risk.
Compare the recovery times more systematically and state the threshold durations with greater precision.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the shared starting point through the three foods to a concise conclusion.
Use separate overview and detail paragraphs to make the comparison structure more immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
A good range of relevant vocabulary communicates the trends and dental implications clearly, despite a few awkward collocations.
Replace phrases such as ‘possesses the threat’ with more natural expressions such as ‘poses a risk’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied sentence structures are generally accurate and meaning remains consistently clear.
Refine occasional awkward clauses and use more concise comparative structures when reporting durations.
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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
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.