Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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 given pie charts illustrate the average percentage of three kinds of nutrients i.e., sodium, saturated fats, and added sugar, used in usual meals, that become toxic to health if taken in excess quantity.

Overall, it can be seen that breakfast carries the least percentage of all the provided nutrients whereas sodium is the highest in meals prepared for dinner.

Beginning with the snacks, it can be observed that only 14% percent of sodium is carried by them. It is noticeable that added sugar is double than saturated fat used in snacks, 21% and 42%, respectively. In breakfast, all three nutrients are almost in same measurement with only 2% reduction in sodium as it is 14% while saturated fat and added sugar are 16%.

Moving towards Lunch, added sugar is the lowest in percentage as compared to saturated fat and sodium because sugar is 19%, saturated fat is 26%, and sodium is 29%. However, the trajectory in dinner has significant fluctuation as sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar are in percentages of 43%, 37%, and 23%, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarizing the main features and providing relevant comparisons across the four meal types and three nutrients. An overview is present, noting that breakfast carries the lowest percentages overall while dinner contains the highest sodium. Key data points are accurately reported, such as noting that sodium peaks at 43% in dinner and that added sugar reaches 42% in snacks. The comparison between added sugar and saturated fat in snacks ('added sugar is double than saturated fat... 21% and 42%') is also correctly highlighted based on the source data. The response meets the core requirements of Task 1 by selecting and reporting salient trends without significant omissions or inaccuracies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organized logically into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing snacks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Beginning with the snacks', 'In breakfast', 'Moving towards Lunch', and 'However'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with each meal category receiving its own analytical focus. While referencing and linking are generally clear, some transitions feel slightly formulaic or mechanical, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, there is a clear logical progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'percentage', 'nutrients', 'trajectory', and 'fluctuation'. However, there are some awkward lexical choices and phrasing, such as 'carried by them' for sodium in snacks, 'in same measurement', and the phrasing 'double than' instead of 'twice as high as'. Spelling is generally accurate, and word choices are mostly adequate to convey the data clearly, though there is a lack of more sophisticated phrasing or less common lexical items that would typify a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases (e.g., 'Moving towards Lunch, added sugar is the lowest...'). Grammatical control is fairly good, and communication is never impeded. There are some minor errors and awkward structures, such as 'is double than' and the slight confusion in 'sodium as it is 14% while saturated fat and added sugar are 16%'. Punctuation is generally sound, and the majority of sentences are grammatically acceptable, placing this comfortably in the Band 6.5 to 7 range.

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

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