Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 how much sodium,saturated fat and added sugar people in the USA eat in their meals.These are breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Overall, dinner is the biggest meal for sodium and saturated fat.But for added sugar, and snacks are the biggest. Breakfast is the smallest for all three.

For sodium, people eat 43% at dinner. This is the highest. Lunch is 29%.Breakfast and snacks are both 14%.So they are the lowest.

For saturated fat, dinner is also the highest with 37%. Then lunch is 26% and snacks are 21%. Breakfast is the lowest with only 16%.

For added sugar, it is different. Snacks are the highest with 42%. Dinner is 23%, lunch is 19% and breakfast is 16%. So people eat most sugar in snacks, not in dinner.

In short, Americans eat a lot of sodium and fat at dinner, but they eat a lot of sugar in snacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses the task clearly and reports the main patterns accurately. It identifies dinner as the largest source of sodium and saturated fat, and snacks as the largest source of added sugar; the figures given for all meals match the chart. The overview also notes breakfast’s low shares, although this needs qualification: breakfast ties with snacks for sodium rather than being uniquely the smallest. The final sentence usefully restates the main contrast, but “eat a lot” is a broad interpretation of percentages of nutrient intake across meals. To strengthen the report further, keep the overview precise and compare the distributions directly, for example by noting that added sugar is more concentrated in snacks while sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for each nutrient. This makes the comparisons easy to follow, and signposts such as “For sodium” and “For added sugar” help readers navigate the report. The response also maintains a consistent focus on the chart. However, cohesion is somewhat mechanical because several short statements follow the same pattern, such as “This is the highest” and “So they are the lowest.” The overview and conclusion repeat similar points rather than adding a more developed synthesis. Use a wider range of linking structures and combine related figures into smoother comparisons to make progression more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the chart’s main information, with relevant terms such as “sodium,” “saturated fat,” “added sugar,” “highest,” and “lowest.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “Biggest meal” does not accurately describe a percentage contribution, and “people eat a lot of sodium and fat” is less suitable for a formal chart report than language describing shares or proportions. Repeated use of “highest” and “lowest” also restricts variety. Aim for more precise reporting vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “proportion,” and “contribution,” while ensuring that comparisons describe the data rather than making broad claims about eating habits.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses mostly straightforward sentence forms, and the meaning remains clear throughout. There are some attempts to vary structure, including “For added sugar, it is different” and the contrast introduced by “but” in the final sentence. However, most sentences are short and follow a simple subject–verb pattern, so the grammatical range is limited. Punctuation and spacing also need attention: there is no space after commas in “sodium,saturated” and after full stops in “meals.These” and “29%.Breakfast.” The overview phrase “But for added sugar, and snacks are the biggest” contains an unnecessary conjunction that disrupts the sentence. Practise combining comparisons with accurate clauses and checking sentence boundaries and spacing.

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