Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22

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 chart illustrates the avarage proportions of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals consumed in the USA, all of which may be harmful to the body if eaten too much.

As is observed, the highest amount of sodium and saturated fat are been consumed at dinner, while added sugar is mostly eaten through snacks. However, snack seems to have the lowest amount of soduim present followed by saturated fat. It is also presented that meals eaten as breakfast contains equal amount of saturated fat and Added sugar.

Food eaten as breakfast contains similar range of Sodium, Saturated fat and Added sugar which are 14%, 16% and 16% respectively. Whereas there seems to be an increase in the meals eaten during launch where sodium had an increase of 29%, saturated fat had an increase of 26% and Added sugar had an increase of 19%.

It also shows that there was little bit of sodium present in snack as compare to saturated fat and added sugar which had 21% and 42% respectively. All nutrients seems to be very high in all of the meals taken as dinner, for sodium it was 43% , saturated fat was 37% and Added sugar was 42%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar across the four meal times. Key data points are accurately identified, such as dinner having the highest sodium (43%) and snacks leading in added sugar (42%). Comparisons are made between meals, like noting that breakfast contains equal amounts of saturated fat and added sugar (both 16%). An overview is attempted in the introduction, though it could be more explicitly developed as a summary statement. Minor phrasing inaccuracies occur, such as stating 'snack seems to have the lowest amount of soduim present' (when it ties with breakfast at 14%), but overall, the information is effectively summarised and visually supported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction and body paragraphs dedicated to different meals or overall comparisons. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'As is observed', 'However', and 'Whereas'. Paragraphing is logical, grouping related ideas together. However, some referencing is slightly imprecise, such as using 'launch' instead of 'lunch' and abrupt transitions between sentences in the final paragraph. Progression is generally clear throughout the report, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, using terms such as 'illustrates', 'proportions', 'nutrients', and 'consumed'. Less common vocabulary is attempted ('proportions', 'consumed'), but there are several noticeable spelling errors ('avarage', 'soduim', 'launch') and word-choice awkwardness ('little bit of sodium present'). Despite these inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary remains minimally sufficient for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is used throughout the response, including relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward verb forms, such as 'are been consumed', 'meals eaten as breakfast contains', and 'All nutrients seems'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequency of grammatical slips places this response firmly in the Band 6 category, where errors occur but rarely impede overall communication.

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.