Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29
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 7.5)
The pie chart illustrates the average proportions of three nutrients in typical meals, all of which may have adverse health effects if consumed in excess.
Overall, dinner accounted for the highest shares of both sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks were the principal source of added sugar. By contrast, breakfast consistently recorded the lowest proportions across all three nutrients.
Looking at sodium, the highest proportion was observed in dinner at 43%, followed by lunch at 29%, while breakfast and snacks shared the lowest figure at 14% each. A similar pattern can be seen in saturated fat, with dinner making up the largest proportion at 37%, followed by lunch (26%) and snacks (21%), whereas breakfast represented the smallest share at 16%.
In contrast to the other two nutrients, added sugar was most heavily concentrated in snacks, which accounted for 42% of the total intake. Dinner ranked second at 23%, while lunch and breakfast contributed more modest figures of 19% and 16%, respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The student has fully addressed all parts of the task by selecting and accurately reporting the main features of the charts. An appropriate overall summary is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the key trends (e.g., dinner being the primary source of sodium and saturated fat, and snacks of added sugar). Specific data points such as the 43% for sodium at dinner and 42% for added sugar in snacks are correctly extracted and compared effectively. The response is well-grounded in the provided data with no factual errors or misinterpretations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5
Ideas are logically sequenced and progress naturally throughout the response. The student makes effective use of paragraphing, with each paragraph serving a distinct and logical purpose (introduction, overview, and detailed body paragraphs for the nutrients). Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'By contrast', 'Looking at sodium', and 'In contrast to the other two nutrients' are used accurately and flexibly to guide the reader through the data comparisons without becoming intrusive.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to an academic report. Phrases such as 'principal source', 'consistently recorded', 'heavily concentrated', and 'modest figures' show good control over less common lexical items and collocations. Word choice is precise, and there are no spelling or word-formation errors that impede communication. The terminology is accurately applied to describe statistical proportions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5
The response features a wide variety of complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('accounting for the highest shares') and subordinate clauses ('while lunch and breakfast contributed...'). The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and the few complex constructions attempted are handled with high accuracy. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and list data points, demonstrating a high level of grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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