Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-24

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 given pie charts illustrate the ratio of presence of three particular nutrients in regular meals consumed in the United States of America.

Overall, dinner accounts for the highest intake of both sodium and saturated fat, whereas snacks contain the largest share of added sugar. In contrast, breakfast consistently comprises the lowest percentage across all three categories.

The break fast contains the least amount of all three substances; having 16% of both saturated fats and added sugars, while amount sodium is just 14%. The dinner has the largest presence of sodium and saturated fats at 43% and 37% simultaneously, keeping the added sugars at 23%.

The largest amount of sugar is present in snack which is 42%, while the sodium is 14% and fat is 21%. Lastly, the lunch contains most average numbers; sodium at 29%, fat at 26%and sugar at 19%. The breakfast and lunch both remained in average or lowest in all nutrient categories.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the main pattern accurately: dinner has the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead in added sugar, and breakfast is generally low. It also reports the key figures for all four meals, so the task is covered and the overview is relevant. This shows some of the stronger feature selection expected above a basic summary. However, the claim that breakfast is the lowest for all three nutrients is not fully accurate: its 16% added-sugar share is lower than lunch and dinner, but not lower than the 16% for saturated fat, and it is not the lowest added-sugar figure because lunch is 19%—actually breakfast is lower there, so the overview should distinguish categories precisely. The closing statement that lunch is “most average” is vague and not clearly supported. More precise comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an overview followed by details about breakfast and dinner, then snacks and lunch. This makes the main comparisons easy to locate. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Lastly” help guide the reader, and the information is grouped by meal rather than presented as an unstructured list. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “The breakfast and lunch both remained in average or lowest” does not explain the comparison and weakens the ending, while “The break fast” and “The dinner” interrupt the otherwise clear flow. A more systematic grouping—such as comparing the highest and lowest meal for each nutrient—would create stronger progression and avoid the slightly repetitive sequence of meal-by-meal statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the charts, and the writer uses relevant terms such as “accounts for,” “intake,” “largest share,” and “percentage.” These choices communicate the main comparisons without obscuring the data. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, including “illustrate” and “comprises,” although some combinations are inaccurate or unnatural. “Ratio of presence” is not a natural way to describe the chart values, and “keeping the added sugars at 23%” does not express the intended comparison clearly. “Most average numbers” is also imprecise. Spelling and spacing in “break fast” and “26%and” need attention. Using standard chart language consistently—“proportion,” “accounted for,” and “share”—would improve precision and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview contrast with “whereas” and the clause beginning “while.” Most of the data remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions are present. For example, “having 16% of both saturated fats and added sugars, while amount sodium is just 14%” is a fragment and lacks a clear grammatical connection; “amount sodium” also needs a determiner and a more complete structure. “The dinner has the largest presence … at 43% and 37% simultaneously” has an unclear construction, and “The breakfast and lunch both remained” uses an unsuitable tense for describing chart data. Improve sentence completeness, article use, and the structure of comparisons. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make the report smoother.

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

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