Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the results of a survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The chart compares the results of a survey about people drinking and buying of coffee and tea in five different Australian cities.

Overall, people bought coffee from cafe was dominate in four cities. In contrast, bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks was least popular among the people.

Sydeny, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart significant numbers of people buy coffee from cafe by 65% to 55%. Meanwhile, Adelaide was domiante cititizen bought instant coffee in last four weeks.

Hobart city had the highest percentage of bought instant coffee from cafe with 54% and Sydney had the lowest proportion 45%. Bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks are leat common in all the cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and make an attempt at an overview by noting café visits as prominent and fresh coffee as less popular. However, the overview is not fully accurate: café visits were highest in all five cities except Adelaide, where instant coffee was higher, so “in four cities” is correct, but fresh coffee was not the least popular in every city—instant coffee was lower in Sydney. Some figures are also misreported: Hobart, not Sydney, had the highest instant-coffee figure, while Adelaide’s instant-coffee result was about 50%, not the city’s defining highest value across the chart. The response gives very limited comparisons and omits several key figures. It is also 38 words below the required minimum, leaving the report underdeveloped. Include a clearer overview and compare all three categories across the cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and further details, and the ideas generally remain on the chart topic. The contrast marker “In contrast” helps signal a relationship between the overview points. However, the progression is limited because the details are presented as a few disconnected statements rather than grouped systematically by category or by city. “Meanwhile” introduces Adelaide, but the comparison is not developed, and the final sentence repeats the claim that fresh coffee was least common. Referencing is also unclear in phrases such as “Hobart city had the highest percentage of bought instant coffee from cafe.” Organise the body into clear comparisons—for example, café attendance first, then fresh and instant coffee—and use linking phrases to show the relationships between figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “popular,” and “in contrast,” so the reader can understand the general topic and intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “people bought coffee from cafe was dominate,” “highest percentage of bought instant coffee,” and “domiante cititizen.” These errors make some statements difficult to interpret, while spelling mistakes such as “Sydeny,” “domiante,” and “leat” reduce precision. Use standard reporting expressions such as “the proportion of residents who visited cafés” and “instant coffee purchases.” Check spelling carefully and avoid repeating “bought … in last 4 weeks” when a shorter, accurate phrase can be used.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses mostly short, simple statements, with a limited attempt to connect ideas through “In contrast” and “Meanwhile.” Several sentences are understandable, but frequent problems with sentence structure and verb forms make the report difficult to read in places. For example, “people bought coffee from cafe was dominate” combines incompatible structures, while “Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart significant numbers of people buy” lacks a main verb and has an unclear subject. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and tense, as in “the highest percentage of bought instant coffee from cafe.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense reporting, such as “The proportion who visited cafés was highest in Hobart.”

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