Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie chart highlights the percentages of three nutrients in typical meals in the USA, which may be harmful if consumed too much.Overall, sodium and saturated fat share almost the same quantity at dinner and lunch, while sugar is mostly used at snack.

Sodium is used for heavy meals like dinner and lunch. Its percentage is 29% at lunch and 43% at dinner, which means almost half of the nutrients are coming from sodium. Besides lunch and dinner, it is used 14% at breakfast and 14% at snack.

Saturated fat also shows a similar proportion to sodium; it percentage is 37% at dinner and 26% at lunch. At snack, its proportion is 21%, while at breakfast it is 16%, which is 5% less than snack.

The percentage of sugar at snack is 42%. Snack is always considered a light meal, so that's why it. contains more sugar than other meals. At dinner, its percentage is 23%; at lunch 19%; and at breakfast, only 16%

In addition, it is clear that sodium and saturated fat are the main sources of nutrients for dinner and lunch, while sugar is for snack. These three nutrients are very essential for health; however overeating may cause serious health issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You report the main figures accurately, including dinner as the largest share of sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), and snacks as the largest source of added sugar (42%). The overview also identifies the key contrast between the dinner/lunch pattern for the first two nutrients and the snack peak for sugar. This addresses the chart clearly and supports the main points with relevant data. However, the overview’s claim that sodium and saturated fat have “almost the same quantity” at dinner and lunch is imprecise: their percentages differ, and the chart shows separate meal shares rather than quantities of nutrients. The final health comments are not required by the task and are not supported by the chart; a more focused summary of the comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by paragraphs on sodium, saturated fat and sugar. This makes the information easy to locate, and linking expressions such as “Besides” and “while” help show comparisons. The final paragraph, however, repeats the overview rather than adding a useful comparison, and the health advice shifts away from describing the data. Some connections are also awkward or unclear, particularly “so that's why it. contains more sugar,” which interrupts the flow. To develop the logical progression further, group the meal patterns across nutrients—for example, compare dinner and lunch for sodium and saturated fat, then contrast these with the snack peak for sugar—and use references that clearly identify the nutrient or meal.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of chart-related vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “share” and “sources,” and the reader can understand the comparisons. There are, however, several imprecise or unnatural choices. “Sugar is mostly used at snack” does not accurately describe the chart, which reports the share of added sugar consumed in meals; “sodium is used for heavy meals” is similarly unsuitable. “Quantity” is also less precise than “proportion” for these percentages, while “essential for health” introduces an unsupported judgement. Aim for consistent, accurate terms such as “accounted for,” “contributed” and “the largest share.” This would improve precision and collocation while retaining the clear, accessible vocabulary already present.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including comparisons with “while” and a relative clause in the opening. Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors are noticeable. For example, “it percentage” should be “its percentage,” and “so that's why it. contains” has incorrect punctuation and an unclear sentence structure. The sentence beginning “At dinner, its percentage is 23%” also ends without a full stop. There are spacing issues after sentence boundaries, as in “too much.Overall,” and “however overeating.” Review possessives, sentence boundaries and punctuation, and proofread for accidental full stops. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make the response easier to read.

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