Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-10

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 pie charts provide insights into average percentages of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar that are included in typical meals consumed in the USA.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat are used mostly in dinner, while sugar is added majorly in snacks. It is evident that in breakfast, most of these nutrients are present in lower amounts.

In breakfast, the least percentage is of sodium (14 %) , while saturated fat and added sugar are of the same proportion of 16%. In lunch, added sugar is added in the lowest percentage of 19%, while there is subtle difference of just 3% between sodium and saturated fat.

Added sugar is added in the highest proportion (42%) among them all in snacks, sodium makes up to 14%, while saturated fat stands just below a quarter (21%). 43% of sodium is used for dinner, while just below a quarter of sugar is used at the same moment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner accounts for the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the most added sugar. The overview also notes that breakfast is generally low, and the figures you give for breakfast, lunch and snacks are consistent with the chart. This is a clear, relevant summary that selects useful comparisons. However, coverage is not quite complete: dinner’s saturated-fat figure (37%) is omitted, and the dinner comparison would be stronger if you explicitly reported that added sugar is 23% and saturated fat is 37%, rather than describing sugar only as “just below a quarter.” Including these figures would make the key meal-by-meal contrasts more fully supported and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs that move through breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. The sequence is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “while” and “In lunch” help signal comparisons. This gives the report a coherent arrangement. Some connections are less smooth, however: the final paragraph shifts from snacks to dinner without a clear transition, and “among them all” has an unclear reference. The repeated pattern of listing figures also makes the report feel somewhat mechanical. Grouping the meal comparisons more deliberately—for example, contrasting dinner with snacks, then covering breakfast and lunch—would create more flexible progression and clearer cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of chart-reporting vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “subtle difference” and “just below a quarter.” These choices help communicate comparisons, and the meaning remains clear. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, though. “Sodium and saturated fat are used mostly in dinner” is not a natural way to describe the chart, and “sugar is added” suggests an action rather than the proportion shown. “Added sugar” is also repeated several times. Use more precise reporting language such as “account for,” “make up” or “the share of,” and vary the phrasing while keeping the nutrient names clear. This would improve naturalness and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “while” and the overview construction “It is evident that…”. Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons, and errors do not prevent understanding. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain: “in breakfast” and “in lunch” use the wrong preposition for meals, while “the least percentage is of sodium” has an awkward sentence structure. In “43% of sodium is used for dinner,” the passive construction is also unsuitable for reporting a chart value. There are inconsistent spaces around the percentage signs and before punctuation. Practise concise structures such as “At breakfast, sodium accounts for 14%” and check punctuation and prepositions during editing.

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