Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 provided representation demonstrates the total three types of nutrients in typical foods and the average percentage of them and may be considered harmful for humans if consumed in high volumes.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat have been used mostly in dinner at 43% and 37% respectively. Whereas added sugar was added in snack at 42% and second highest, it used in dinner at 23%. Saturated fat was second highest in lunch at the percentage of 26% and similarly for sodium, it was added in lunch at 29%.

To begin with, sodium was highly used in dinner at the percentage of 43%. The next major usage of it, was in lunch at 29%. While snack and breakfast had exact percentage of 14%.

Furthermore, saturated fat had heavily used in dinner at 37%. The latter category was lunch at 26%, the rest of of categories such as breakfast and snack were at the percentage of 16% and 21% respectively.

In addition, added sugar had the different picture, in which snack almost accounted for half of its use at staggering 42%. On the other hand, the second highest category was dinner at 23%. While lunch and breakfast received 19% and 16% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features of the three nutrients across the four meal types. You successfully highlight the dominance of sodium and saturated fat in dinner, and the unique trend of added sugar in snacks. However, the analysis is somewhat repetitive, as you list the percentages for each category individually rather than synthesizing the data more effectively. To reach a higher band, focus on grouping the data to highlight key comparisons and contrasts more clearly, rather than describing each nutrient in a separate paragraph. The overview is present but could be more concise to better reflect the 'main features' rather than just restating data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with clear paragraphing. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, some of the transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally awkward, such as 'The latter category was lunch'. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by varying the sentence structure and avoiding repetitive phrasing. The overall arrangement is coherent, but the flow between sentences could be more natural to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'staggering', 'accounted for', and 'consumed'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'total three types of nutrients' (which is vague) and 'added sugar was added in snack' (which is repetitive). There are also minor errors in phrasing, such as 'had the different picture'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and avoiding the repetition of the same verbs when describing data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'saturated fat had heavily used' (should be 'was heavily used') and 'the rest of of categories' (a typo). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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