Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-10
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 given bar charts illustrates the percentage of residents coffee and tea purchasing and consuming habits in last 4 weeks in five different cities ( Sydney , Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart ) in Australia.
In general, it is evident that going to a Cafe to have coffee or tea was the most common habits , except in Adelaide. Additiona;;y, the percentage of people buying instant coffee was always higher than that of those purchasing fresh coffee in all cities.
In terms of Sydney and Melbourne, while the percentage of Sydneys people drinking tea or coffee at a cafe was about 61%. Meanwhile, above 45% of citizens of Sydney and Melbourne had a habits of buying instant coffee, whereas the proportions of those two cities were around 44% and 43% respectively.
Moving on to the remaining cities, having coffee or tea at a cafe accounted for the largest oercentages of people in hobart, followed by Brisbane and Adelaide, at approximately 51% of people in Brisbane and Hobart choose to buy instant coffee, compared to nearly 505 of those in Adelaide. Finally, a close similarity can be seen in the percentage of people buying fresh coffee in Brisbane and Adelaide, at around 345 while Hobarts figure was higher, at roughly 38%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons across the five cities. You successfully highlighted the general trend regarding cafe visits and the preference for instant coffee over fresh coffee. However, the data reporting is occasionally inaccurate or confusing, such as the mention of '505' and '345' (likely typos for 50% and 34%). Additionally, the comparison between cities could be more precise; for example, the grouping of data for Sydney and Melbourne is somewhat disjointed. To reach a higher band, ensure that all figures are transcribed accurately and that comparisons are clearly linked to the specific cities mentioned.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In general', 'In terms of', and 'Moving on to', which help guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by mechanical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Additiona;;y' and the abrupt transition between the second and third paragraphs. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the proportions of the cities. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'purchasing', 'consuming', 'proportions', and 'accounted for'. However, there are several spelling errors ('Additiona;;y', 'oercentages', 'hobart') and some awkward collocations, such as 'Sydneys people' instead of 'residents of Sydney'. The use of 'habits' is also slightly repetitive. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for data description and ensure careful proofreading to eliminate minor spelling slips that detract from the professional tone of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, the opening sentence has a subject-verb agreement error ('charts illustrates'). There are also issues with punctuation, such as the unnecessary parentheses around city names and the misuse of commas. Some sentences are incomplete or lack proper structure, such as 'while the percentage of Sydneys people drinking tea or coffee at a cafe was about 61%'. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that complex sentences are constructed with correct subordinate clauses.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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