Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-15
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 pie charts break down the average proportions of three kinds of nutrients in typical meals which may be unhealthy if taken in greater quantities.
Overall, the dinner contains the highest ratio of sodium and the lowest proportion of added sugar. The added sugar make up the largest proportion in snacks. By contrast, the nutrients in lunch and breakfast are roughly sharing an equal ratio.
The content of the sodium is the highest in the dinner(43%), followed by lunch (29%) while both the breakfast and the snacks contain a similar ratio (14%).
The added sugar make up 42% in snacks followed by dinner whereas the lunch and the breakfast contain 19% and 16% added sugar respectively.
Finally, the saturated fat is present up to 37% in the dinner followed by lunch (26%) and snack(21%) while the breakfast contains the lowest proportion by 16%.
In conclusion, the dinner contains a major proportion of sodium while the snacks have the highest ratio of added sugar.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response successfully identifies the main features of the charts and provides relevant comparisons. You have correctly highlighted the key trends, such as dinner having the highest sodium and snacks having the highest added sugar. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. However, to reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with complete accuracy. For instance, you mentioned that snacks and breakfast contain a similar ratio of sodium (14%), which is accurate, but you could further improve by grouping the data more effectively to highlight the contrast between the meals. The response covers all parts of the task well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each nutrient, and a concluding summary. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'by contrast', 'followed by', and 'whereas' to link information. However, the paragraphing is slightly fragmented, with some very short paragraphs that could be better integrated. Additionally, some transitions are a bit mechanical. To improve, try to vary your cohesive devices and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother, particularly when moving between the different nutrient categories.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportions', 'nutrients', and 'ratio' correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are minor errors in word choice, such as 'taken in greater quantities' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and 'sharing an equal ratio'. To improve, aim to use more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to describe data trends, such as 'constitute', 'account for', or 'predominate'. The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, but lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.
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 several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The added sugar make up', 'The content of the sodium is the highest') and inconsistent use of articles ('the breakfast', 'the snacks'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage. Incorporating more varied complex sentence structures, such as using participial phrases or relative clauses, would also help improve your grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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