Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart compares the percentages of residents in five Australian cities who bought fresh coffee, bought instant coffee, or visited a café for coffee or tea during the previous four weeks.

Overall, visiting a café was the most popular habit in four of the five cities, while purchasing fresh coffee was generally the least common. In addition, instant coffee purchases consistently exceeded fresh coffee purchases across all five cities.

Regarding visits to cafés, Melbourne recorded the highest proportion, at approximately 64%, closely followed by Hobart at around 63%. The corresponding figures for Sydney and Brisbane were about 61% and 55%, respectively, while Adelaide had the lowest percentage, at exactly 50%.

A different pattern can be seen in coffee purchases. Instant coffee was more popular than fresh coffee in every city, with the highest proportion recorded in Hobart (around 54%), followed by Brisbane (53%) and Adelaide (50%). By contrast, fresh coffee purchases were comparatively modest, ranging from only 34% in Brisbane to about 44% in Sydney. Melbourne and Hobart reported similar figures of roughly 42% and 39%, respectively, whereas Adelaide stood at approximately 35%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have clearly identified the main features, such as the popularity of café visits in most cities and the consistent trend of instant coffee being preferred over fresh coffee. The comparisons are well-integrated, and you have successfully highlighted key data points for all five cities. The overview is concise and provides a clear summary of the trends, which is essential for a high band score. There are no significant omissions, and the information is accurately reported based on the provided chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You have used paragraphing effectively to separate the general overview from the specific details of café visits and coffee purchases. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'Regarding', and 'By contrast' are used naturally to guide the reader through the data. The referencing is clear, and the flow between sentences is smooth, ensuring that the information is easy to follow throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have demonstrated a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. Phrases like 'recorded the highest proportion', 'comparatively modest', and 'consistently exceeded' show a good level of precision. The vocabulary is used accurately to describe trends and comparisons. While the range is sufficient and effective, incorporating a few more sophisticated synonyms for 'popular' or 'proportion' could elevate the response further. Overall, the lexical control is strong and supports the clear communication of the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a high level of grammatical accuracy. You have used a variety of complex structures, such as participial phrases ('closely followed by...') and subordinate clauses, with confidence. Punctuation is used correctly to manage sentence structure, and there are no noticeable errors that impede communication. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout the text. This demonstrates a strong command of English grammar.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.