Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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 three charts illustrates the proportion of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, it is clear that dinner contains the highest percentahe of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the most added sugar. In contrast, breakfast has the lowest amount of all three nutrients.

According to the pie charts, for sodium, dinner accounts for 43% and lunch for 29%. Breakfast and snack remained stable 14%. Similarly, for saturated fat, dinner is 37% and lunch is 26%, followed by breakfast at 16% which is lowest percentage and snack is 21%.

On the other hand, for added sugar snacks are the highest at 42%, which is much higher than other meals. Dinner is at 23%. To sum up the percentage of lunch is at 19% and breakfast is at 16%. This shows that people eat more sugar in snacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrasts accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks lead for added sugar (42%). You also report the other meal figures, so the response addresses the chart rather than relying only on general statements. However, the overview says breakfast has the lowest amount of all three nutrients, which is not quite accurate: breakfast and snacks tie for the lowest sodium share at 14%. The final claim that people “eat more sugar in snacks” also goes beyond what the chart directly shows, which is the percentage of added sugar by meal. The response is 143 words, below the 150-word minimum; develop the comparisons further to meet the requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of sodium and saturated fat followed by added sugar. This makes the main comparisons easy to locate. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Similarly,” and “On the other hand” help signal the direction of the discussion, although some transitions feel mechanical or do not mark a strong contrast. The final “To sum up” repeats figures already given rather than adding a useful concluding point, and the reference “This shows” leads to an inference about people’s eating habits. Improve progression by grouping the meal patterns more deliberately and using concise comparisons instead of repeating the same information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounts for,” “highest,” and “lowest,” and the nutrient names are generally handled clearly. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, with “percentage” and “highest” recurring, and a few word choices or forms reduce precision. “Highest percentage” would be more natural as “largest share,” while “remained stable” is not an appropriate description of equal chart values; say the figures “were both 14%.” There is also a spelling error in “percentahe.” Aim for more precise reporting language and vary terms such as “share,” “proportion,” and “figure” without changing the meaning of the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple statements and some longer structures, and most meanings remain clear. Some grammatical errors are noticeable, however. The opening says “The given three charts illustrates,” where the plural subject requires “illustrate.” In “dinner is 37% and lunch is 26%,” the sentence needs a clearer grammatical construction, such as “dinner accounts for 37%, compared with 26% for lunch.” Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, particularly around commas and repeated spaces. Use a wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns, and check subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries during proofreading.

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