Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-27

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 pie chart compares the average proportion in routine meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be harmful for health if taken in excess.

Overall, it can be seen that sodium accounted for higher proportion of lunch and dinner. On the other hand, added sugar made a significant contribution in snacks while, in breakfast saturated fat and added sugars consumed more than sodium.

Looking at details, average percentage of sodium consumed in lunch and dinner is 29% and 43% respectively. While saturated fat ranked second in terms of consumation in lunch and dinner about 26% and 37% respectively followed by added sugars contributed 19% and 23% in lunch and dinner respectively. By contrast in breakfast, people consumed about 16% saturated fat and added sugar each and 14% sodium. Moreover, people used 42% added sugar in snacks followed by 21% saturated fat and 14% sodium.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that dinner contributes the largest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the most added sugar. The figures you report are accurate, including the breakfast comparison and the snack values. However, the overview is not fully precise: saying sodium accounts for a “higher proportion of lunch and dinner” does not clearly distinguish its lead at dinner from saturated fat’s second-place share, and the overview could compare the three nutrients more directly. The response also contains 136 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 11 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop the overview and add a concise comparison, such as noting that breakfast has the lowest shares overall, to cover the key features more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of supporting figures. The progression from the general pattern to meal-by-meal details is understandable, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Moreover” help guide the reader. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “While” begins a sentence fragment-like comparison before the figures for saturated fat, and “followed by” is used repeatedly without making the relationships between the nutrients entirely smooth. The overview also groups several comparisons into one sentence. Use complete, clearly structured comparisons and organise the detail consistently—for example, compare the three nutrients within each meal—to make cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “accounted for,” “contribution,” “ranked second,” and “respectively,” so the meaning is generally clear. There is also some variation in how you refer to the data. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “proportion in routine meals,” “harmful for health,” and “used 42% added sugar” do not sound natural in this context. “Consumation” is also an incorrect word form, and “consumed” is repeated frequently. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer standard chart language such as “percentage of,” “may be harmful if consumed in excess,” and “accounted for 42% of added sugar,” while varying verbs carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview contrast beginning “On the other hand” and the comparison introduced by “While.” Most of the data remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “sodium accounted for higher proportion” needs an article (“a higher proportion”), and “average percentage of sodium … is 29% and 43%” has a number mismatch and an awkward tense for reporting chart data. The sentence beginning “While saturated fat ranked second” is not a complete independent sentence as written. There are also punctuation issues around introductory comparisons. Build a reliable pattern for reporting figures, check articles and singular/plural agreement, and ensure each sentence with “while” has a complete main clause.

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

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