Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie charts give information about three types of nutrients, sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar with their proportion in average meals, all of which may be unhealthy if consumed more than usual.

Overall, the percentage of sodium and saturated fat dominates in dinner and lunch while added sugar dominates in snack.

Nutrients that are most prominent in dinner are sodium and saturated fat with 43% and 37%, respectively. Added sugar holds the last position with 23%, almost half the amount of sodium. Sodium also outshine in the lunch category than the other two nutrients with 29%, followed closely by saturated fat with 26%, and added sugar with 19%. Saturated fat and added sugar share equal spot on breakfast with 16% each, while sodium sits next with 14%. However, added sugar holds the winning position in snack category with 42%, followed by saturated fat with 21% and sodium with 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the most added sugar. The figures you report for these comparisons, as well as the breakfast and lunch values, match the charts. Your overview gives a useful summary, and the body covers all four meal types. To make the report more fully developed, compare the distributions across meals more explicitly—for example, note that dinner is the largest source of sodium and saturated fat, whereas breakfast is the smallest for both, and that added sugar rises from breakfast to its snack peak. The phrase “dominates in dinner and lunch” is also a little broad, since dinner is the leading meal for two nutrients but lunch is not the leading meal for any of them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body that moves through dinner, lunch, breakfast and snacks. This makes the information easy to follow, and linking words such as “followed by” and “However” help signal comparisons. The progression is not fully smooth, however, because the body moves from dinner to lunch, then breakfast, and finally snacks without grouping the meal patterns or explaining the sequence. Some transitions also feel formulaic, particularly the repeated use of “followed” and “position.” A more deliberate organisation—such as comparing the leading and lowest meal for each nutrient, or describing meals in a consistent order—would strengthen the flow and make the relationships between figures clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing chart data, including “proportion,” “prominent,” “followed closely,” and “category.” These choices help communicate the comparisons, and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for an academic report: “dominates in dinner,” “holds the last position,” “share equal spot,” and “winning position” sound informal or awkward. “Outshine” is also not the most suitable verb for a numerical comparison. Aim for precise reporting language such as “accounts for,” “is the lowest,” “are equal,” and “has the largest share.” More consistent use of neutral chart vocabulary would improve accuracy and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the opening relative clause (“all of which may be unhealthy”) and sentences that combine several comparisons. Most of the data remains understandable, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. Some grammatical errors remain, though: “with their proportion” does not agree naturally with the plural subject, and “Sodium also outshine” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “Saturated fat and added sugar share equal spot,” the singular article is missing before “spot.” The overview phrase “dominates in dinner and lunch” also uses an awkward preposition pattern. Check agreement, articles and sentence patterns when revising; these corrections would make the otherwise clear comparisons more controlled.

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