Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-29

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 three pie charts illustrate average percentage of sodium, saturated fats and added sugar in different types of meals in the USA. If a person exceeds the limit of these nutrients, it might cause harmful effects to his body.

Sodium and saturated fats are mostly in a greater percentage in dinner meals i.e 43% and 37%. In contrast, added sugar is present majorly in snacks i.e 42%. In breakfast meals, the proportion of sodium, fat and sugar is quite similar i.e 14 to 16%. Lunch meals have around 29% sodium and 26% saturated fats, which dropped to 19% added sugar. Snacks have 21% fats and 14% sodium. Overall, the percentage of nutrients vary a lot. It depends on the meal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks lead for added sugar (42%). You also include useful comparisons for breakfast and lunch. However, some features are less fully reported: for example, the snack share of added sugar is not compared with the other meal types, and the overview “the percentage of nutrients vary a lot” is too general to summarise the chart’s key contrasts. The response is also 30 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. Develop the overview and report a few more relevant comparisons, such as dinner’s 23% added sugar versus its higher sodium and fat figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a generally understandable order, moving from the charts’ subject to the main meal comparisons. Linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “Overall” help signal relationships, and the figures are grouped by meal type in the later sentences. However, the response is very compressed, and the final overview does not clearly synthesise the comparisons already presented. The opening comment about possible harm is not needed for describing the charts and interrupts the progression from introduction to data. Use a clear overview paragraph followed by logically grouped details, and make links between comparisons more explicit rather than relying mainly on short, separate statements.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of chart-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” and “in contrast,” and the meaning of the comparisons remains clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “present majorly” and “exceeds the limit,” but these are not natural or precise in this context. “In a greater percentage” is also an awkward collocation, while “fat” is less specific than the chart label “saturated fat.” Aim for accurate, conventional language for describing data: for example, say that a nutrient “accounts for” a share or is “highest in” a meal. More precise vocabulary would make the report sound more controlled without requiring unnecessarily complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and more complex forms, such as “If a person exceeds the limit …, it might cause…” and the contrast introduced by “which dropped to 19%.” Most sentences are understandable, and grammatical problems do not prevent the reader from following the data. Some errors remain, however. In “average percentage,” the plural charts call for “average percentages,” and “the percentage of nutrients vary” has a subject–verb agreement error; use “percentages … vary” or “the percentage … varies.” The phrase “in different types of meals” would be more naturally formed as “across different meal types.” Check agreement and number, and vary sentence structures while keeping comparisons grammatically clear.

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