Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-12
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.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 7.5)
The three pie charts illustrate the average proportions of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar found in typical American meals, broken down across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Overall, dinner accounts for the largest share of both sodium and saturated fat consumption, while snacks represent the dominant source of added sugar — a notable contrast that stands out across all three charts. Regarding sodium, dinner contributes the highest proportion at 43%, more than three times the breakfast and snacks figures, which both stand at 14%. Lunch accounts for the remaining 29%. A broadly similar pattern emerges for saturated fat, where dinner again leads at 37%, followed by lunch at 26%, snacks at 21%, and breakfast at the lowest share of 16%. Added sugar, however, tells a strikingly different story. Snacks account for 42% — by far the largest segment — while dinner, despite dominating the other two nutrients, contributes only 23%. Breakfast and lunch represent comparatively modest proportions of 16% and 19% respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a comprehensive summary of the three pie charts regarding sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar. The main features are clearly identified and contrasted, such as dinner dominating sodium (43%) and saturated fat (37%), while snacks lead in added sugar consumption (42%). Data is accurately selected and compared throughout the response, as seen when noting that dinner contributes 'more than three times the breakfast and snacks figures' for sodium. There is a clear overview provided in the opening sentences which effectively highlights the key trends across all categories. The response fully satisfies the requirements of Task 1 with no major omissions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The text presents a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Although written as a single cohesive paragraph, the progression from an overall summary into detailed breakdowns of each nutrient is handled smoothly. Cohesive devices are used flexibly and appropriately, such as 'Overall', 'Regarding sodium', 'A broadly similar pattern emerges', and 'Added sugar, however, tells a strikingly different story'. Referencing and substitution are well-managed, meaning the reader can easily follow the relationships between the data points and categories discussed. Paragraphing is the only minor limitation, as breaking the text into two or three distinct paragraphs would have made the structural organization even clearer, yet the internal cohesion remains very strong.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.5
The student demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Less common lexical items and phrasing are integrated skillfully, such as 'average proportions', 'dominant source', 'notable contrast', and 'strikingly different story'. Collocations are natural, and word choices are precise when describing numerical data (e.g., 'accounts for', 'contributes', 'representing'). There are only occasional minor inaccuracies, but overall the vocabulary allows for sophisticated control and clear expression of complex comparative information, easily meeting the criteria for a high band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The response features a wide range of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, demonstrating excellent control over punctuation and syntactic forms. Examples of complex structures include participial phrases ('broken down across breakfast...') and concessive clauses ('dinner, despite dominating the other two nutrients, contributes only 23%'). Minor slips or awkwardness are extremely rare, and grammar never impedes communication. The student effectively balances simple and complex forms to present the statistical data smoothly and naturally.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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