Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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 given pie charts show the proportion of three type of nutrients; sodium, saturated fats, and added sugar in three meals of the day and snacks in the USA. All these nutrients can have negative health impacts if consumed too much.

Overall, Dinner is the main source of increased consumption of sodium and saturated fats while, snack accounts for highest proportion of added sugar making these meals unhealthy.

Dinner contains highest amount of sodium in meal that is 43%. The next highest proportion of sodium is in lunch accounted for 29%. Breakfast and snack share equal quantity of sodium that is 14% each. This proportion is pretty much similar for saturated fats with minute diffrences.

Dinner also holds the highest percentage of saturated fats constituted 37% while, lunch contains 26% of saturated fats. Snack holds 21 percent of saturated fats whereas, breakfast contain 16% of saturated fats.

Added sugar shows different trend with snack being the highest source. Dinner also contain large percentage of added sugar about 23%. Lunch and breakfast contain 19 and 16 percent of added sugar, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You identify the main patterns accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you report are consistent with the chart, including the equal 14% sodium shares for breakfast and snacks and the 42% sugar share for snacks. The overview is relevant, and the body gives useful comparisons across meals. This is a strong response to the task, with the key features selected and supported by data. To make the account more fully developed, state the contrast in added sugar more explicitly—for example, that snacks’ 42% is almost twice dinner’s 23%—and avoid the broad claim that these meals are unhealthy, since the chart shows proportions rather than health outcomes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for sodium/saturated fat and added sugar. This makes the main comparisons easy to follow. However, cohesion is not always smooth. The sentence “This proportion is pretty much similar for saturated fats with minute diffrences” interrupts the sodium description and is vague; the following paragraph then repeats the saturated-fat figures in detail. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “while” and “whereas.” Improve progression by grouping the two nutrients with similar meal patterns in one paragraph and using precise comparisons to connect them, then contrast these with added sugar. Clearer referencing and fewer repeated transitions would make the organisation more fluent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “highest percentage,” “source,” and “trend,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward choices that limit precision: “three type of nutrients” should be “three types of nutrients,” “increased consumption” does not describe the chart’s proportions, and “Dinner contains highest amount of sodium in meal” is unnatural. “Pretty much similar” and “minute diffrences” are also imprecise, while “constituted 37%” is an awkward collocation. Spelling errors such as “diffrences” and inconsistent singular/plural forms further reduce control. Prefer concise chart language such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “was higher than,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the information remains understandable. Some grammatical errors recur, especially with articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “three type of nutrients” needs a plural noun, while “Dinner contains highest amount” requires an article (“the highest amount”) and a more complete comparison. In “Dinner also holds the highest percentage of saturated fats constituted 37%,” the two verb forms do not connect grammatically; use “Dinner accounts for the highest share, at 37%.” There are also agreement errors in “breakfast contain” and “Dinner also contain.” Punctuation around “while” is sometimes misplaced. More consistent subject–verb agreement and carefully formed comparison clauses would improve accuracy.

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