Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-11

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 6.0)

The pie charts illustrate how many nutrients which can be detrimental for health are included in every typical meal.

Overall, dinner contains the highest figure of sodium and saturated fat, while the biggest portion of sugar people eat with snacks. Breakfast has the least proportion in every chart.

The figure of sodium eaten during dinner is the biggest among all graphs - 43%. In sodium consumption, 29% are eaten during lunch and equal parts of 14% with snacks and breakfast. As regards saturated fat, the highest figure is consumed with dinner, 11% less is eaten with lunch, 21% is contained in snacks and breakfast has the least figure of 16%.

Added sugar is the only category where the highest fraction of the nutrient contains in snacks, the gap in sugar proportions in dinner, lunch and breakfast is not as big as in the previous categories and compose 23%, 19% and 16% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main features of the data and provides relevant comparisons. You have correctly highlighted the key trends, such as dinner being the highest for sodium and saturated fat, and snacks being the highest for added sugar. The overview is clear and captures the essence of the charts. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with complete accuracy; for instance, you mentioned 'equal parts of 14% with snacks and breakfast' for sodium, which is accurate, but your description of saturated fat percentages could be more precise to ensure the reader follows the data trends effortlessly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from a general summary to specific details. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'As regards', and 'In sodium consumption' to link ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother. Some sentences feel slightly disjointed, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated to avoid repetitive sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'detrimental', 'proportion', 'fraction', and 'consumption'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the biggest portion of sugar people eat with snacks' (which is slightly informal) and 'the highest figure is consumed with dinner' (where 'proportion' or 'percentage' would be more precise than 'figure'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating the same words to describe data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that slightly impede the flow. For example, 'the highest fraction of the nutrient contains in snacks' should be 'is contained in snacks', and 'compose 23%, 19% and 16% respectively' lacks a subject. Additionally, there are minor issues with article usage and preposition choice. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement would help elevate your score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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