Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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 compare the average proportions of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals consumed in USA.

Overall, it is evident that, snacks had the highest proportion of added sugar in compare to the rest of them. Meanwhile, dinner is the largest meal which have high saturated fat and extreme sodium to make it tasty and delicious.

To begin with, breakfast contains 14% of sodium, 16% of saturated fat and 16% of added sugar which makes it the healthiest meal of the day. Additionally, lunch goes with 29%, 26% and 19% in sodium, saturated fat and added sugar respectively. Snack have 14% sodium, 21% added sugar and high levels of added sugar, which is very unhealthy for a normal human being. In contrast, dinner meals are probably made with less sugar with the average of 23%, but it can be high in sodium with 43% and saturated fat with 37%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that snacks account for the largest share of added sugar, while dinner has the highest sodium and saturated-fat proportions. Most figures are reported accurately, including breakfast and lunch, and the response covers all three nutrients. However, the overview includes unsupported commentary that dinner is the “largest meal” and that its ingredients are used “to make it tasty and delicious”; the charts show nutrient percentages, not meal size or reasons. There is also a data-label error: snacks are said to have “21% added sugar,” whereas 21% is saturated fat and added sugar is 42%. The comparison that dinner has less sugar is valid, but could be expressed more precisely. Focus on chart-supported comparisons and make the overview more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph reporting the meal-by-meal figures. Sequencing breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner makes the information easy to follow, and connectors such as “Additionally” and “In contrast” help signal relationships. Cohesion is not always controlled, however. “Meanwhile” does not clearly connect the two overview points, and “In contrast” introduces dinner without a precise contrast. The snack sentence repeats “high levels of added sugar” and mixes nutrient figures, making the reference unclear. Grouping the figures consistently by nutrient or meal, and using concise links such as “By comparison” only where a real contrast exists, would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “average proportions,” “sodium,” “saturated fat,” and “added sugar,” so the topic is generally clear. There is some variety in expressions such as “highest proportion” and “high in sodium.” However, several choices are inaccurate or informal for an academic summary: “extreme sodium,” “goes with,” and “tasty and delicious” do not describe the data precisely. “High levels of added sugar” is also repeated, and the snack figure is attached to the wrong nutrient, which weakens precision. Aim for neutral terms such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “proportion,” and avoid judging meals as healthy or unhealthy when the chart only reports percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Meanwhile” and the relative clause “which makes it the healthiest meal.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “snack have” needs a singular or plural subject with matching verb, and “dinner is the largest meal which have” has faulty agreement and an unclear clause. The opening also needs “the USA,” while “in compare to” is not a correct grammatical pattern. The comma after “evident that” is unnecessary. Review subject–verb agreement and article use, and build comparisons with accurate forms such as “compared with” or “whereas.”

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