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 provided bar graph depicts the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea purchasing and drinking habits in five Australian cities.
Overall, initially the proportion of visiting café for coffee and tea is the highest, whereas it fluctuated in different areas. However, the graph of instant coffee rose steadily throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane, but a slight decline was recorded in Adelaide. In comparison, an unsteady variation was observed in purchasing of fresh coffee among the five boroughs.
Melbourne recorded the highest amount of individuals who went to café, while it felt to its lowest in Adelaide, around 50%. Furthermore, Hobart registered the lowest proportion of instant coffee sales at approximately 45%; by contrast, fresh coffee purchases peaked at 43%. Moreover, the bar graph of fresh coffee sales were below the average in Brisbane and Adelaide, however approximately 45% of citizen were obtaining fresh coffee in Sydney.
The habits among all the cities varied differently, and the graph illustrates their activities of last four weeks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data, but the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. While you identify the highest and lowest points, the description of trends is occasionally confusing, such as the claim that instant coffee sales 'rose steadily' across four cities, which is not clearly supported by the visual data. Furthermore, the term 'boroughs' is incorrectly used to describe Australian cities. To improve, ensure that your overview clearly highlights the most significant trends and that your comparisons are precise. Some data points are mentioned without sufficient context, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the three categories (café, instant coffee, fresh coffee).
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak. For example, the transition between the overview and the specific data points is abrupt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore' and 'by contrast', but they are sometimes used mechanically or to connect ideas that do not follow logically from one another. The final sentence is a weak conclusion that does not effectively summarize the main findings. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'fluctuated', and 'registered'. However, there are instances of inaccurate word choice, such as using 'boroughs' to refer to Australian cities and 'felt' instead of 'fell'. The phrase 'visiting café' is also grammatically awkward. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the inaccuracies occasionally hinder the precision of your report. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations correctly (e.g., 'visiting a café' or 'frequenting cafés') and ensure that your terminology is appropriate for the context of describing statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the graph of instant coffee rose' (the graph does not rise; the sales do) and '45% of citizen were obtaining' (should be 'citizens were'). Subject-verb agreement and pluralization issues are present throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that your sentence subjects are logically consistent with the verbs you choose.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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