Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-04
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 given below illustrates the outcome of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and consuming habits in five different cities of Australia.
Overall, visiting a cafe was the most popular activity in almost all cities, while buying fresh coffee was the least popular. In addition, more people bought instant coffee than fresh coffee in every city.
Looking at cafe visits, Melbourne has the highest proportion at about 60%, followed by Hobart and Sydney around 61%. Brisbane recorded approximately 55%, while Adelaide had the lowest percentage at just under 50%.
For instant coffee, the highest percentage was the at around 55%, closely followed by Brisbane at 53%. The figures for Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney were about 50%, 48% and 45%, respectively.
In contrast, fresh coffee was less popular. Around 44% of people in Sydney and 43% in Melbourne bought fresh coffee. The percentage in Hobert were lower around 38%. While Brisbane and Adelaide had the smallest figures at around 34% each.
Overall, going to cafe was the most popular activity, while buying coffee was the least common across the five Australian cities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully identifies the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons between the five cities. You have clearly highlighted the trends for cafe visits, instant coffee, and fresh coffee. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you state that Melbourne has the highest proportion of cafe visits at 60% and Hobart/Sydney at 61%, which contradicts the visual data where Hobart is clearly the highest. Additionally, you mention 'the highest percentage was the at around 55%' for instant coffee without specifying which city you are referring to. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurately transcribed and clearly attributed to the correct categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. The use of cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Looking at', and 'In contrast' helps guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different categories of data. However, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the missing city name in the second paragraph regarding instant coffee. While the progression of ideas is generally smooth, the mechanical nature of some transitions could be improved to achieve a more natural flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'recorded', and 'illustrates'. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Hobert' instead of 'Hobart' and the repetitive use of 'figures' and 'percentage'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'high' or 'low' (e.g., 'peaked', 'remained stagnant', 'a marginal difference') and ensure precise spelling of proper nouns. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the sophistication required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most sentences are clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'the highest percentage was the at around 55%' (extra 'the') and 'the percentage in Hobert were lower' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally handled well, but the occasional slip in sentence construction slightly affects the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentence structures are error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.