Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 three pie charts show the average percentages of sodium,saturated fat and added sugar in four typical meals in the USA, which are breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. All three nutrients may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, dinner is the biggest source of sodium and saturated, while snacks contain the highest amount of added sugar. Breakfast contributes the least to all three types.

For sodium, dinner accounts for the highest percentage at 43%, followed by lunch at 29%.Breakfast and snacks both make up only 14% each.

For saturated fat, dinner again is the highest at 37%, and lunch is second at 26%. Snacks contain 21% and breakfast is the lowest at 16%.

For added sugar, the pattern is different. Snacks are the main source with 42% . Dinner is 23%, lunch is 19%and the breakfast is again the lowest with only 16%.

Americans get the most of their sodium and fat from the diner, but they get most of their sugar fro snacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main features accurately and gives a clear overview: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures reported for each meal match the chart, and the final comparison reinforces the key contrast. This is a well-focused summary with relevant comparisons rather than a list of unrelated details. To make the account more fully developed, avoid broadening chart data into claims about what Americans generally consume: “Americans get the most…” goes beyond the chart’s percentages for typical meals. Also, the overview says breakfast contributes least to all three nutrients, although breakfast and snacks tie for the lowest sodium share. A more precise overview would acknowledge that tie.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. This makes the information easy to follow, and phrases such as “For sodium” and “For added sugar” signal the topic changes effectively. The final sentence also attempts to bring the main comparisons together. However, the organisation is somewhat formulaic, with each nutrient presented in the same sequence and limited linking between the detailed paragraphs. Some punctuation spacing also interrupts the flow, as in “29%.Breakfast” and “19%and.” The conclusion repeats the overview rather than adding a useful synthesis. More varied transitions and cleaner sentence boundaries would make cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the charts, and terms such as “accounts for,” “percentage,” “main source” and “contributes” help communicate the data clearly. There is some variation in how the shares are described, rather than relying on one verb throughout. However, several choices are imprecise or awkward: “the biggest source of sodium and saturated” omits “fat,” while “the highest amount” is less exact for percentages than “the largest share.” “Diner” and “fro” are spelling errors, and “get most of their sugar” is informal and not well suited to an academic summary. Aim for precise chart language and proofread spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple statements and more developed structures, including the relative clause “which are breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks” and the contrastive sentence “For added sugar, the pattern is different.” Most of the data statements are grammatically understandable. Some errors remain, however. In “dinner is the biggest source of sodium and saturated,” the noun phrase is incomplete; “saturated fat” is needed. The final sentence shifts from chart description to a broad present-tense claim, and “the breakfast” uses an unnecessary article. Missing spaces after full stops and before punctuation also affect accuracy. Check noun phrases, articles and sentence punctuation carefully while retaining the clear basic structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.