Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01

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 charts illustrate the total proportion of three types of nutrients such as, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in typical meals consumed in the USA, all of which may be harmful for health if eaten in larger quantity.

Overall, they indicate that the proportion of added sugar in snack is larger than the other nutrients, while dinner constitute the greater amount of sodium and saturated fat.

Regarding snack, the highest amount of added sugar is present which is approximately at 42%, and the percentage of sodium is 14% and the saturated fat is 21%. In breakfast, 14% sodium is present and the average proportion of saturated fat and added sugar is same at about 16%.

However, dinner contain the largest amount of sodium 43% and saturated fat 37%, but the percentage of added sugar is relatively lower at around 23%. Finally in lunch, 29% sodium and 26% saturated fat are present, which are higher than the amount of sugar that is 19%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response selects the main patterns accurately: snacks have the highest added-sugar share (42%), while dinner has the largest proportions of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%). It also reports the breakfast and lunch figures correctly, and the overview gives a clear summary of the key contrast. This is a well-focused account of the chart, with relevant comparisons rather than a list of isolated values. To make the reporting more precise, avoid wording such as “total proportion,” which could suggest totals across meals, and clarify that the figures represent each nutrient’s share in each meal. The main features are covered and supported, though the comparisons could be developed a little further—for example, by noting that dinner is the leading meal for two nutrients, whereas snacks lead only for sugar.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction, a concise overview, and then details grouped by meal. This makes the comparisons easy to follow, and transitions such as “Overall,” “Regarding snack,” and “Finally” help signal the movement between points. The organisation is coherent, but the linking is somewhat mechanical because the final paragraph begins with “However” even though it continues the meal-by-meal description rather than presenting a contrast. The paragraphing also separates the information by meal, while a more direct comparison of the three nutrients across meals could create a stronger analytical progression. Use transitions that express the actual relationship between ideas and connect related figures more flexibly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to describe the chart, with useful terms such as “proportion,” “percentage,” “largest amount,” and “relatively lower.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, including “total proportion,” “larger quantity,” and “the highest amount of added sugar is present.” Repetition of “amount” and “percentage” also limits flexibility. Some phrasing makes the description less precise, particularly where the chart reports percentages rather than quantities. Aim for accurate collocations commonly used in data reporting, such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “highest proportion.” This would make the account more fluent and precise without requiring more complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a range of sentence forms, including a relative clause in the introduction and contrastive clauses in the overview and detail paragraphs. Meaning remains clear, but errors in agreement and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “dinner constitute” and “dinner contain” should use singular verb forms, while “the proportion of added sugar in snack” needs an article or plural form. The phrase “the largest amount of sodium 43%” also needs clearer punctuation or a linking structure, such as “the largest share of sodium, at 43%.” Work on subject–verb agreement, articles, and integrating figures grammatically. More consistently accurate simple structures would strengthen the control shown in the longer sentences.

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