Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-11

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.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA

Student answer (Band 7.0)

The pie charts illustrates the mean percentages of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugar in common meals consumed in the United States of America.

Overall, lunch and dinner contributed to the majority of sodium and saturated fat content in meals. Added sugar was dominantly present in the snacks category.

The first chart about sodium suggests that dinner meals have the highest amount of salt in them compared to other meals, which accounting to 43%. Lunch comes in at second place with 25% followed by 14% in snacks and breakfast each. The second chart about saturated fats reveal similar patterns with dinner being the biggest contributor with 37% followed by lunch at 26%. Meals consumed as snacks and breakfast have low saturated fat content as both contribute to only 21% and 16% respectively.

The third chart about added sugars shows that the snacks is the largest category with 42%. Dinner meals accounts to 23% and lunch closely follows with 19%. Breakfast meals have the lowest amount of added sugar because it accounts to only 16%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main patterns clearly: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The overview captures these contrasts, and most figures are reported accurately. One factual slip is the sodium share for lunch, given as 25% rather than 29%; the other stated values match the chart. The comparisons are relevant and sufficiently supported, although the overview could be more precise by noting that breakfast and snacks tie for the lowest sodium share and that added sugar is more evenly distributed across the other meals. This is a clear, well-focused summary with only a small data error and some scope to sharpen the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction, a concise overview, and then separate discussion of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. This makes the comparisons easy to follow, and phrases such as “followed by” and “closely follows” help signal rankings. The progression is logical throughout. However, the repeated openings “The first chart,” “The second chart” and “The third chart” make the body somewhat formulaic, and “both contribute to only 21% and 16% respectively” requires the reader to map the figures back to the categories. More varied linking and clearer references to each meal would make cohesion more flexible and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The response uses an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “contributed,” “largest category,” “highest amount” and “closely follows,” so the data is generally easy to understand. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “dominantly present,” but this is not a natural collocation; “accounting for the largest share” would be more idiomatic. Other choices, including “dinner meals” and “the snacks category,” are understandable but could be expressed more precisely as “dinner” and “snacks.” The repeated use of “amount” and “category” also limits flexibility. Greater control of collocation and more varied language for proportions would strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple statements and more developed comparisons, and the meaning remains clear. However, some grammatical errors recur. The opening “The pie charts illustrates” has a subject–verb agreement error; it should be “The pie charts illustrate.” In “which accounting to 43%,” the clause needs a finite verb, such as “which accounts for 43%.” Similar verb-form and agreement problems appear in “the snacks is” and “Dinner meals accounts to 23%.” The sentence “as both contribute to only 21% and 16% respectively” also has an unclear grammatical reference. Check agreement, verb forms and sentence construction carefully; more consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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