Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-14

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 6.0)

The pie charts depict the average proportion of sodium, saturated fat and added sugars in typical meals in the United States. These nutrients may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Overall, people eat the food items having lowest figures of all 3 nutrients during breakfast whereas dinner contains maximum amount of sodium and saturated fats. Added sugar is present in highest quantity in snacks.

Meals like breakfast and lunch which are taken during first half of the day contain less proportion of unhealthy nutrients compared to snacks and dinner. Breakfast has the least amount of harmful nutrients at about 15% for each one of them whereas lunch contains more sodium and saturated fats and relatively low added sugar.

In a stark contrast, dinner contributes more than one-third of total consumption of sodium and saturated fat. Even though snacks contain relatively average amount of these two, its proportion in added sugar is highest at about 42%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers the main features of the charts by summarising the distribution of sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars across four distinct meal types. An appropriate overview is provided, noting that breakfast and lunch contain lower proportions of these nutrients compared to snacks and dinner. Key comparisons are made successfully, such as highlighting that dinner contains the highest amount of sodium and saturated fats, while snacks peak in added sugars at around 42%. Data points are generally well-selected to support the summary, although rounding figures slightly (e.g., 'more than one-third') works well for an academic task. The response meets all requirements for Task Achievement, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory overview, moves into general trends, and then details specific meals. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different ideas, such as grouping breakfast and lunch together versus contrasting them with dinner and snacks. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, including transitional phrases like 'Overall', 'In a stark contrast', and 'Even though'. However, some referencing could be smoother, such as 'its proportion' referring back to snacks, which slightly disrupts cohesion. Overall, the structural flow is clear and easy to follow, justifying a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terms such as 'proportion', 'consumption', 'sodium', 'saturated fat', and 'added sugars'. The student attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'stark contrast' and 'lowest figures'. However, there are some minor collocation and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'contain less proportion of' instead of 'contain a lower proportion of' and 'lowest figures of all 3 nutrients' instead of 'lowest percentages'. Despite these slips, the meaning is always clear, demonstrating a solid Band 6.0 level of lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses ('Meals like breakfast and lunch which are taken during first half...') and concessive clauses ('Even though snacks contain...'). Grammatical control is generally good, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout. There are a few minor grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('during first half' should be 'during the first half' and 'relatively average amount' should be 'a relatively average amount'). The majority of sentences are clear and error-free, and communication is never impeded. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.5 descriptors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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