Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 6.5)

The overall chart shows the average percentage of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA.

This shows that breakfast contains 14% sodium, snacks 14%, lunch 29% and dinner 43%. It means highest prcentage of sodium consumed in lunch and dinners. Sodium is essential for body normal functioning but it should be consumed upto a limit.

The two pie charts compare the percentages of saturated fat and added sugar consumed during four meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Overall, dinner contributes the highest proportion of saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest share of added sugar. Breakfast provides the smallest percentage in both categories. For saturated fat, dinner makes up 37%, followed by lunch at 26%, snacks at 21%, and breakfast at 16%. In contrast, added sugar is mainly consumed through snacks, which represent 42%. Dinner accounts for 23%, lunch for 19%, and breakfast for only 16%. These charts show different eating patterns for fat and sugar intake.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three nutrients and provides data for all four meal types. However, the report is disjointed. The first paragraph introduces the sodium data, but the second paragraph repeats the introduction of the charts, which is redundant and confusing. While the main features are identified, the analysis lacks a cohesive summary of the overall trends. The inclusion of personal commentary, such as 'Sodium is essential for body normal functioning', is irrelevant to an Academic Task 1 report and should be avoided as it does not contribute to the objective summary of the data provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical flow is disrupted by the repetitive introduction in the second paragraph. The transition between the sodium data and the fat/sugar data is abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'followed by', but the overall structure feels mechanical rather than fluid. The essay would benefit from a single, clear introduction followed by body paragraphs that group the data logically rather than restarting the task halfway through.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey the necessary information. Phrases like 'contributes the highest proportion' and 'eating patterns' are appropriate. However, there is some repetition of basic verbs and nouns. The range is somewhat limited, and there are minor inaccuracies in phrasing, such as 'highest prcentage of sodium consumed in lunch and dinners', which is grammatically awkward. To reach a higher band, the writer should aim for more varied synonyms for 'percentage', 'consumed', and 'meals'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'It means highest prcentage of sodium consumed in lunch and dinners' (missing articles and incorrect preposition usage) and 'consumed upto a limit' (spacing error). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. The writer should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles when discussing statistical data.

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