Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-08

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 6.5)

The pie charts illustrate the average percentages of three types of nutrients, including sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars, in typical meals consumed in the USA.

Overall, the charts show four categories of meals. For sodium and saturated fat, dinner accounts for the highest percentages, whereas the largest amount of added sugar is present in snacks. All of the three nutrients show the least contribution in breakfast.

Sodium and saturated fat have almost similar ratios with small differences. Sodium is present at 43% in dinner, which is larger than any other nutrient in any meal. However, dinner contains 32% saturated fat and 23% added sugar. Lunch has smallest amount of added sugar which is 19% and highest amount of sodium which is 29%, followed by saturated fat which is present 26% in lunch.

For breakfast, all three nutrients account for almost similar ratio, saturated fat and added sugar have the exact same percentage, which is 16%, whereas sodium has 14%, which is the smallest in breakfast. A large amount of added sugar is present in snacks, 42% of snacks contain added sugar, which is higher than all. Furthermore, snacks contain 14% of sodium and 21% of saturated fat.

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 lead in added sugar. The overview also notes breakfast’s generally low figures, and several comparisons are supported with data. However, one important figure is inaccurate: dinner’s saturated-fat share is 37%, not 32%. The claim that breakfast has the least contribution for all three nutrients is also too broad, since snacks have the same sodium share as breakfast (14%). Some comparisons are less fully developed; for example, the response could more clearly contrast the meal with the highest and lowest values for each nutrient. These accurate main features, alongside a few imprecisions and uneven detail, fit the performance described here.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs that compare the meal categories. The overview gives readers a useful guide to the main patterns, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help connect points. The progression is generally understandable, but some information is grouped less effectively: the third paragraph moves from dinner to lunch, while the final paragraph combines breakfast and snacks. The repeated use of “which” clauses also makes some sentences feel crowded, particularly in the lunch comparison. Grouping details consistently by nutrient or by meal, and using clearer transitions between comparisons, would make the progression more flexible and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounts for,” “percentages,” “ratios,” and “contribution,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are attempts at more formal reporting language, but some choices are imprecise or repetitive. For example, “the largest amount of added sugar is present in snacks” is less natural than saying snacks have the highest proportion, and “42% of snacks contain added sugar” misrepresents what the chart measures: it shows added sugar’s share across meal types. “Almost similar ratios” is also an awkward collocation. More precise terms such as “share,” “proportion,” and “figure,” used consistently, would improve accuracy and flexibility without changing the clear overall message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses and relative clauses, and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons. Some grammatical errors remain, but they rarely prevent understanding. For example, “Lunch has smallest amount” needs an article (“the smallest amount”), and “saturated fat which is present 26%” has an incomplete grammatical pattern; write “saturated fat, at 26%.” The sentence beginning “For breakfast” also joins two independent ideas with a comma, so a full stop or semicolon would be more appropriate. There is some control of longer structures, but checking articles, clause construction, and punctuation would make the writing more consistently accurate.

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