Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-28

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 PIE CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF THREE TYPES OF NUTRIENTS, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE IN TYPICAL MEALS, WHICH ARE CONSUMED IN THE USA.

OVERALL, THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF THE ADDED SUGAR ARE AVAILABLE IN SNACKS, WHILE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF SODIUM AND SATURATED FAT ARE CONSUMED AT DINNER. HOWEVER, ALL THREE TYPES OF NUTRIENTS ARE CONSUMED WITH SOME PROPORTION IN TYPICAL MEALS.

SPECIFICALLY, BREAKFAST HAD 14% OF THE SODIUM AND 16% OF SATURATED FAT. ALSO, IT CONTAINS 16% OF ADDED SUGAR IN TYPICAL MEALS. IN ADDITION, 14% OF THE SODIUM AND 21% OF SATURATED FAT ARE AVAILABLE IN SNACKS. IT ALSO HAS 42% OF ADDED SUGAR, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ADDEDE SUGAR. THE SECOND HIGHEST PROPORTION OF THE SODIUM IS AVAILABLE IN LUNCH ACCOUNTED FOR 29%. ADDITIONALLY, 26% OF SATURATED FAT AND 19% ADDEDE SUGAR ARE CONSUMED AT LUNCH. FURTHERMORE, DINNER CONTAIN THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF THE SODIUM AND SATURATED FAT ACCOUNTED FOR 43% AND 37% RESPECTIVELY. ALSO, 23% OF ADDED SUGAR IS AVAILABLE AT DINNER.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You identify the main contrasts accurately: snacks account for the largest share of added sugar (42%), while dinner has the highest proportions of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%). The overview also establishes that all three nutrients occur across the meals, and the body includes relevant figures for each meal, supporting a clear account of the chart. This meets the task well, with the key features selected and reported. To make the summary more fully developed, compare the distributions more directly—for example, note that added sugar rises from breakfast to dinner only modestly before peaking in snacks, whereas sodium and saturated fat peak at dinner. Some descriptions such as “available” are also imprecise about what the percentages represent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body that moves through breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and linking expressions such as “In addition” and “Furthermore” help signal progression. However, the body’s sequence is not fully consistent with the meal order, and the repeated “Also” and “Additionally” make cohesion somewhat mechanical. The overview’s final sentence—that all nutrients occur in typical meals—adds little after the main contrasts. Grouping the figures by meal or by nutrient, then using clearer comparisons between categories, would create smoother progression and more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the data, including “highest proportion,” “percentage,” and “second highest.” However, the range is somewhat repetitive, particularly through repeated use of “available,” “consumed,” and “percentage.” Some choices are not natural for describing chart shares: nutrients are not “available in snacks,” and “contains” is less precise than saying a meal “accounts for” a proportion. There are also spelling slips in “ADDEDE,” which appears twice. Aim for more accurate collocations and vary the language with terms such as “share,” “account for,” and “make up.” This would improve precision while retaining the clear, task-appropriate vocabulary already present.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple statements and more developed clauses, including the relative clause in the introduction and the sentence beginning “which is the highest percentage.” Most relationships between the figures remain understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless reduce accuracy: “the highest proportion of the added sugar are” has subject–verb disagreement, while “dinner contain” should be “dinner contains.” The phrase “lunch accounted for 29%” also shifts tense awkwardly within a present-tense description, and “26% of saturated fat and 19% added sugar are consumed at lunch” needs a clearer parallel structure. Check agreement, maintain a consistent present tense, and proofread sentence patterns. These corrections would make your varied structures more controlled.

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