Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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 charts illustrates the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients which are Sodium, Saturated fat and Added sugar, all of which may be unhealthy if consumed in excess.

Overall, it is clearly seen that the Sodium and Saturated fat are present dominantly in dinner constituting more than one-third of total percentage whereas Added sugar in highly present in snacks.

In snacks Added sugar peaked at 42% followed by Saturated fat(21%) and Sodium(14%). Amount of Added sugar(42%) in snacks were three times that of Sodium(14%). As for breakfast percentage of added sugar and saturated fat were equal at 16% and 14% sodium. Due to high amount of added sugar in snacks they are considered unhealthy.

In dinner category amount of added sugar(23%) is almost half of that of sodium(43%) while saturated fat stood at 37%. In lunch sodium, saturated fat and added sugar were at 29%, 26% and 23% respectively. Excessive amount of sodium and saturated fat present in dinner can be harmful to health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks account for the largest proportion of added sugar. Most figures are reported correctly, including the snack values and the dinner and lunch comparisons. However, there are a few inaccuracies: breakfast sodium is 14%, not 14%? Your sentence says “16% and 14% sodium,” which is correct, but lunch added sugar is 19%, not 23%; 23% is the dinner figure. The overview also says dinner contains “more than one-third” of both nutrients, which is accurate, but the comparison that snack sugar is three times sodium is a little imprecise (42% versus 14% is exactly three times). To strengthen the response, report all meal figures consistently and keep health claims tied to the chart rather than adding unsupported conclusions such as snacks being unhealthy.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing snacks and the other meals. This makes the main comparisons easy to locate, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “As for breakfast,” and “In dinner category” help guide the reader. The organisation is coherent, but the progression is not fully controlled: the final paragraph moves from dinner to lunch, while breakfast is placed in the snacks paragraph, so meal-by-meal grouping is inconsistent. Some connections are also repetitive, particularly the repeated health comments, which do not add chart information. Grouping the details consistently—for example, comparing all meals in a logical sequence—and using clearer references would make cohesion more flexible and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of chart-related vocabulary, including “constituting,” “peaked,” “followed by,” and “stood at,” and the nutrient names are generally clear. These choices allow you to describe proportions and make comparisons. However, some word combinations and forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “present dominantly,” “in highly present,” and “amount of … were.” Repetition of “amount,” “percentage,” and “high amount” also limits precision. In a chart summary, prefer concise terms such as “accounted for,” “was highest,” and “share/proportion,” and avoid evaluative wording like “harmful” unless it is necessary to report the chart’s stated context. More accurate collocations would make the vocabulary sound more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview clause “whereas Added sugar…” and comparisons such as “while saturated fat stood at 37%.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “The charts illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, and “Amount of Added sugar … were three times” has both article/number and agreement problems. “As for breakfast percentage…” also needs clearer sentence structure and punctuation. There are some missing or awkward articles and inconsistent capitalisation of nutrient names. To improve accuracy, check singular and plural subjects, use “the proportion/percentage” consistently, and separate comparisons into complete, well-punctuated clauses.

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