Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 charts illustrates the proportion of three types of nutrients: sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed by individuals of USA, which might be unhealthy if consumed in large portion.

Overall, the percentage of added sugar is consumed more as a snack, sodium intake and saturated fats is eaten in large proportion at dinner.

On the one hand, sodium and saturated fats in a typical meals is in larger amount approx 41% and 37% in dinner, followed by lunch at 29% of sodium and 26% of saturated fats. However, the snacks and breakfast comprise equal proportion of sodium around 14% each. Meanwhile the amount of saturated fats in snack is 21% and in breakfast iit is 16%.

On the other hand, meals with added sugar intake is in large proportion while having snacks at 42%, followed by dinner at 23%. Furthermore, breakfast comprise 16% of added sugar and lunch have 19% of sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest proportion of added sugar. You also compare meal categories and include most key figures. However, the dinner figure for sodium is reported as approximately 41%, whereas the chart shows 43%; this should be corrected. The overview is relevant but could be more precise by noting that breakfast is the lowest or joint-lowest category for the first two nutrients. The response is also four words below the 150-word minimum, with the ten words copied from the prompt excluded from the count. Develop the overview and comparisons slightly further to cover the data more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs grouping sodium with saturated fat and then discussing added sugar. This makes the main comparisons easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships, although “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” are not especially suitable for dividing these chart categories and make the progression feel somewhat formulaic. Some references are also unclear, as in “meals with added sugar intake is in large proportion,” where the subject is difficult to identify. Use more direct topic sentences and connect each comparison explicitly to the relevant nutrient and meal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “intake,” “followed by,” and “comprise,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise: “consumed more as a snack,” “eaten in large proportion,” and “in larger amount” do not describe the chart data naturally. “Individuals of USA” is also an unnatural way to refer to the population. There is a spelling slip in “iit,” and repeated use of “proportion” and “amount” limits flexibility. Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations such as “accounted for,” “made up,” and “the highest share,” while checking spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement, articles, and plural forms. For example, “The charts illustrates” should use a plural verb, while “sodium intake and saturated fats is” needs a plural verb or a restructured subject. “In a typical meals” also mismatches the article and noun number, and “breakfast comprise” and “lunch have” require agreement with singular subjects. The sentence beginning “meals with added sugar intake is” has an unclear grammatical structure. Review agreement and article use, and build comparisons around clear subjects such as “The proportion of sodium was…”.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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