Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03

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 bar graph illustrates the results of a survey about residents coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

Overall, visiting cafés for coffee or tea was the most popular activity in most cities, whereas buying fresh coffee was the least common.

According to the graphical representation the highest percentage of the people have gone to cafe for coffee or tea in last one month. Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart recorded similar figures, at approximately 60–65%, while Brisbane and Adelaide had slightly lower percentages.

Buying fresh coffee was the least popular activity. all over five cities, with minimum number of residents between 35 to 45 percentage. Purchasing instant coffee was moderately popular with almost 50-55 percentage overall.

Overall, the highest figures were recorded for residents who visit the cafe, for coffee or tea, whereas fresh coffee remained the lowest in the last four weeks in five different cities

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall trends and comparisons between the five cities. You successfully identified the most and least popular activities. However, the analysis is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the final paragraph, which restates information already provided in the introduction and body. To improve, ensure that each paragraph adds new analytical value rather than simply summarizing the same points. While you have selected key data points, the report would benefit from more precise comparisons between the specific cities to better highlight the differences in the survey results.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall' and 'whereas', to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing, such as 'all over five cities' and the repetitive nature of the concluding paragraph. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, such as 'graphical representation', 'moderately popular', and 'recorded similar figures'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'all over five cities' (should be 'across all five cities') and 'percentage' used where 'percent' or 'proportion' would be more appropriate. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding your range to include more varied descriptors for trends would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'residents coffee' (missing possessive apostrophe), 'have gone to cafe' (article usage), and 'in last one month' (missing article). Additionally, the punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with commas. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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