Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-09

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 8.0)

The bar chart illustrates the results of a survey on coffee and tea purchasing and drinking habits among residents of five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.

Overall, visiting a café for coffee or tea was the most popular activity in most of the cities, while buying fresh coffee was generally the least common. Adelaide was the only city where visiting a café and buying instant coffee were equally popular.

Looking first at fresh coffee, approximately 44% of people in Sydney had bought it in the previous four weeks, compared with around 43% in Melbourne. The figures were lower in Brisbane and Adelaide, at about 34% and 35% respectively. Hobart recorded a slightly higher proportion, at approximately 39%.

The percentage of people purchasing instant coffee was considerably higher. It stood at about 46% in Sydney and 48% in Melbourne, before rising to 53% in Brisbane. Adelaide had a figure of 50%, while Hobart had the highest proportion, at roughly 54%.

Finally, going to a café was particularly popular in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, with figures of approximately 61%, 64% and 63%, respectively. Brisbane recorded a lower figure of around 56%, while Adelaide had the lowest percentage, at 50%. Thus, Melbourne had the highest proportion of café visitors, whereas Brisbane had the largest gap between fresh and instant coffee purchases.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response is excellent. You have fully addressed all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the data. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant trends, such as the popularity of café visits and the contrast between fresh and instant coffee consumption. You have made effective comparisons between the five cities throughout the report, such as noting that Melbourne had the highest proportion of café visitors and identifying the specific gap in Brisbane. The data is accurately represented, and the information is well-selected to provide a comprehensive summary of the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: the introduction, the overview, and then specific details for each category (fresh coffee, instant coffee, and café visits). You have used cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Looking first at', 'The figures were lower', 'Finally', and 'Thus', which help guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the report, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring that the relationships between the cities and the habits are easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a wide and flexible range of vocabulary, which is used with precision. Phrases like 'recorded a slightly higher proportion', 'considerably higher', and 'the largest gap' show a good command of academic language suitable for a report. The vocabulary is natural and contributes to the clarity of the analysis. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation, and the terminology related to the chart (e.g., 'proportion', 'figures', 'recorded') is used accurately and consistently throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response exhibits a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You have successfully used complex sentences, such as 'Adelaide was the only city where visiting a café and buying instant coffee were equally popular' and 'The percentage of people purchasing instant coffee was considerably higher.' Punctuation is used correctly, and the majority of sentences are error-free. The control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent, and the flow of the writing is smooth, indicating a high level of grammatical competence.

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