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.

Same questionCompare 2 different answers (Band 6–8)

Sample Response

1

The diagrams illustrate the average proportions of three types of nutrients in typical meals, which can be unhealthy if consumed in excessive quantitiesconsumed too much. The three types includeincludes sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. The data is taken from the United States of America. The first chart shows the average percentages of sodium. Dinner contains the most sodium(43%). Breakfast and snacks include an equal proportion of sodium consumed, with each of them accounting for 14%adding up 14% of sodium. Meanwhile, lunch accounted forThrough eating lunch, 29% of sodium29% sodium is consumed. The second chart shows the percentages of saturated fat in meals. Dinner accounted for 37% of saturated fatBy eating dinner, 31% saturated fat is consumed. Lunch contributes to a consumption of 26% of saturated fat26% saturated fat, followed by snacks with 21% and breakfast with 16%. Regarding added sugar, the data indicatesThe last chart illustrates the proportions of added sugar. Snacks contain the highest proportion of added sugar (42%)highest amount of added sugar(42%). A typical dinner includes 23% of added sugar23% added sugar, while lunch contains 19% and breakfast includes 16%. OverallAll in all, the diagrams show thatdiagrams show that every typical meal consumed in the USA contains a percentage of at least 14% of nutrients that can be unhealthy if consumed excessivelyif eaten too much.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all main charts with generally accurate data reporting, though it misread the dinner figure for saturated fat as 31% instead of 37%. The overall progression is easy to follow, but the overview is weak and the report relies heavily on repetitive sentence patterns. To raise the overall quality, synthesize main trends more effectively in the overview and use more varied grammatical structures when comparing figures.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

6.0
Scoring rule

Key features are covered, but one figure is reported inaccurately and the conclusion offers a weak overview rather than highlighting overall trends.

Next step

Provide a clear summary highlighting dominant trends, such as dinner accounting for the most sodium and fat while snacks dominate added sugar intake.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

The essay follows a logical structure chart by chart, though paragraphing and transitions are somewhat mechanical.

Next step

Group similar data points across charts using comparative linking phrases rather than describing each chart in isolation.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.0
Scoring rule

An adequate vocabulary range is used to report percentages, though phrasing is frequently repetitive.

Next step

Vary word choices and phrases for expressing percentages and proportions, avoiding repetitive structures like 'contains' and 'consumed'.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.0
Scoring rule

A mix of simple and compound sentences is used with mostly clear meaning, despite minor subject-verb agreement and spacing errors.

Next step

Ensure correct subject-verb agreement with plural subjects and add proper spacing around punctuation marks.

Put the feedback to work

Write this task while it is fresh

Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

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.

Your response

Words0
20:00

Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.