Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18

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 illustrates an average proportion of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals consumed in the USA. Overall, it is clear that dinner includes major nutrients like sodium and saturated fat. Whereas, added sugar is found mostly in the evening snacks.

In the USA, breakfast comprises of equal percentage of added sugar and saturated fat with relatively less proportion of sodium. Whereas, lunch includes maximum pecentage of sodium, then saturated fat and relatively less added sugar. On the other hand, evening snacks include maximum proportion of added sugars, with quite moderate range of saturated fat and relatively less sodium. Lastly, dinner comprises more of sodium and saturated fat with significantly less added sugar.

In conclusion, it can be said that, sodium and saturated fats are mostly consumed in the dinner and afternoon lunch whereas least consumed during snacks and breakfast. While added sugar is used mostly in evening snacks, then the percentage relatively decrease during dinner, then in lunch and least consumed in breakfast.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main patterns accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks lead for added sugar (42%). The overview also makes a useful comparison between these nutrients, and the meal-by-meal discussion covers all four categories. This meets the task well, with some features more fully reported than others. However, several comparisons remain general: for example, breakfast is described as having “relatively less” sodium, and snacks as having “quite moderate” saturated fat, without figures to clarify the scale. Also, the conclusion repeats earlier points rather than adding a sharper summary of the key contrasts. Include selected percentages, especially the leading and lowest values, to make the reporting more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an overview to meal-specific comparisons and then a concluding summary. This makes the main message easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Lastly” to signal relationships between points. At times, however, cohesion feels mechanical: “Whereas” begins a sentence fragment after the overview and again after the breakfast statement, while “In conclusion” introduces a repetition of information already given. The sequence could be more efficient if related comparisons were grouped together and the conclusion were replaced by a concise overview. Use fewer formulaic transitions and connect contrasts within complete sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing proportions and comparisons, including “comprises,” “relatively,” “maximum proportion,” and “decrease.” The meaning is generally clear, and you vary your wording rather than relying only on “percentage.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for chart reporting, however. “Dinner includes major nutrients” suggests that the nutrients are ingredients, rather than shares of daily intake, and “moderate range” is not a natural description of a percentage. There is also a spelling error in “pecentage,” and repeated use of “comprises” and “relatively” limits flexibility. Choose precise terms such as “accounts for” or “share,” and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and most of the comparisons remain understandable. There are some grammatical errors, though, which keep the writing from showing consistently controlled structures. For example, “The pie charts illustrates” has a subject–verb agreement error; “breakfast comprises of” uses an incorrect pattern; and “Whereas” is used as a standalone sentence opener where it creates a fragment. The sentence beginning “While added sugar is used mostly…” is also not fully integrated with the preceding conclusion. Work on agreement, verb patterns, and joining dependent clauses to complete sentences. A careful edit for punctuation and sentence boundaries would make the comparisons more accurate and fluent.

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