Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-05
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 chart illustrates the proportion of local residents coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in mentioned five Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart for last month.
It can be observed that in Sydney, more than 60% people went to cafe for coffee or tea. Individuals bought fresh and immediate coffee were accounted for 45%. For Melbourne city, the highest individuals with 65% visited cafe for tea or coffee in last month. While 46% customers bought instant coffee, 42% people purchased fresh coffee. In Brisbane city, 55% customers visited cafeteria whereas 52% purchased instant coffee.
It can be seen that in Adelaide, the percentage of purchased coffee and visited cafe stood at around 50%. For Hobart city, the proportion of visited coffee was 63%. However, people who bought fresh and instant coffee was below 55%.
Overall, although the least people preferred fresh coffee buying, the maximum people went to cafe for tea or coffee.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data, including the five cities and the three categories of habits. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention specific percentages, there is a lack of clear comparison between the cities. For instance, you could have explicitly contrasted the highest and lowest performers to provide a more analytical overview. The summary in the final paragraph is a bit vague, as it does not clearly synthesize the trends observed in the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that you not only report the figures but also highlight the most significant relationships and differences between the categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'It can be observed that', 'While', and 'However'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'proportion of visited coffee', which is grammatically awkward and confusing. The transition between the body paragraphs could be smoother to create a more cohesive narrative. Overall, the structure is functional, but the use of linking words could be more varied and sophisticated to improve the logical progression of your ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks precision and variety. You rely on repetitive phrasing such as 'purchased coffee' and 'visited cafe'. There are also some collocation errors, such as 'proportion of visited coffee' and 'the maximum people', which sound unnatural. To improve, try to use a wider range of synonyms and more precise collocations related to data description, such as 'a significant proportion', 'the majority of residents', or 'the lowest figure recorded'. Expanding your lexical range will help you convey information more accurately and professionally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'more than 60% people' (missing 'of'), 'Individuals bought fresh and immediate coffee were accounted for 45%' (incorrect passive construction), and 'the least people preferred' (incorrect usage of 'least'). These errors are noticeable throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of control over basic sentence construction and article usage prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
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.