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

IELTS Writing

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The three pie charts illustrate the average proportion of sodium, saturated fat and sugar found in typical milk consumed in the USA.

Overall, beginner accounts for the highest proportions of sodium and saturated fat, where else snacks contribute the largest proportion of added sugar. By contrast, breakfast has the lowest share of sodium, while lunch has the lowest proportion of added sugar.

At breakfast, the proportions of the three nutrients are relatively balanced. Saturated fed and added sugar each account for 16 percentage, while sodium represents a slightly smaller proportion, at 14 percentage.At lunch, sodium account for 29% of consumption, followed by saturated fat at 26%. Added sugar represents the smallest proportion, at 19%.Thus, compared with breakfast, lunch contains considerably higher proportion of sodium and saturated fat, although the increase in added sugar is relatively small.

Dinner contribute the largest share of sodium and saturated fat, at 43% and 37%, respect respectively. However, the proportion of edits sugar at dinner is considerably lower, at 23%. In contrast, next account for the highest proportion of edit sugar at 42%, which is almost twice the figure for dinner. They also contribute 21% of saturated fat, while sodium accounts for only 14%, the same proposal is at breakfast.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the charts, including the main trends and specific data comparisons. You successfully identified that dinner is the primary source of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks are the main source of added sugar. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting, such as the confusion between 'dinner' and 'beginner' in the introduction, and some inconsistent data points. To reach a higher band, ensure that all figures are transcribed accurately and that the overview highlights the most significant differences between the meals more sharply.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'By contrast,' and 'In contrast' to guide the reader through the data. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by minor errors in referencing and some mechanical phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different meal types. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother, particularly when moving between the different nutrient categories.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'proportion,' 'consumption,' and 'contribute.' However, there are several noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'beginner' instead of 'dinner,' 'saturated fed' instead of 'saturated fat,' and 'edit sugar' instead of 'added sugar.' These errors occasionally distract the reader. To achieve a higher score, focus on proofreading for spelling and ensuring that technical terms are used accurately. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' or 'proportion' would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('sodium account,' 'dinner contribute,' 'next account') and incorrect word forms ('respect respectively,' 'same proposal is at breakfast'). These errors are persistent but do not prevent the reader from understanding the data. To improve, pay closer attention to verb endings and pluralization. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will help move your score into the higher bands.

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

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