Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-19
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 three provided pie charts illustrate the proportion of unhealthy nutrients such as sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in daily meals in the United States of America.
Overall, dinners are less healthy than the other meals, as they report the highest percentages of sodium and saturated fat. In addition, the consumption of added sugar, instead, is really common during snacks.
The proportion of sodium is equal for snack and breakfast, with 14%. Moreover, the larger amount of consumed sodium is at dinner, which is more than half (43%), and lunch (29%).
In terms of satured fat, similarly to sodium, lunch and dinner have a quite high percentage, with 37% for the former and 26% for the latter, whereas snack and breakfast combined make just the 37% of the total.
Regarding added sugar, snack is the meal with the greatest proportion of 42%, just followed by dinner with 23%, lunch (19%), and finally breakfast (16%).
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and selecting the main features of the three charts. The data is generally reported accurately, such as identifying that dinners account for the highest percentages of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), and snacks account for the highest proportion of added sugar (42%). However, there is a factual error in the third body paragraph regarding sodium, where the student claims that dinner is 'more than half (43%)', which is mathematically incorrect as 43% is less than half. Additionally, in the fourth paragraph regarding saturated fat, the numbers are slightly miscalculated or misattributed when stating that 'lunch and dinner have a quite high percentage, with 37% for the former and 26% for the latter' (the data actually shows lunch at 26% and dinner at 37%). Despite these inaccuracies, the key trends and comparisons are present. Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The response has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then body paragraphs dedicated to each nutrient. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', 'In terms of', and 'Regarding'. However, there are some minor cohesive awkwardnesses, such as using 'instead' inappropriately in 'the consumption of added sugar, instead, is really common', and a confusing transition in 'whereas snack and breakfast combined make just the 37% of the total'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different categories of nutrients. Band 6.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'proportion', 'consumption', 'greatest proportion', and 'respective'. However, there are notable lexical errors and spelling mistakes. For instance, 'satured fat' is misspelled, and phrases like 'the larger amount of consumed sodium' are unnatural; 'larger' should be 'largest' and 'amount' should be 'proportion' or 'quantity' since these are percentages. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main ideas, these inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses ('meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy...') and prepositional phrases. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text. For example, 'The proportion of sodium is equal for snack and breakfast, with 14%' lacks proper parallel structure, and 'just followed by dinner' is slightly unnatural. Furthermore, data misinterpretations affect the clarity of the grammatical delivery in places. However, the errors do not impede overall communication. Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.