Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-12

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 6.5)

The chart compares the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five particular Australian cities.

Overall, visiting cafés for coffee or tea was the most popular choice, accounting for the largest proportion of people, while buying fresh coffee was the least popular choice. In addition, buying instant coffee was the second most popular choice, accounting for a relatively large proportion of people.

Looking first at the highest figures, visiting cafés for coffee recorded the highest proportion of people as it had roughly 65%, while buying instant coffee represented the second-highest proportion of people, and its largest amount was in Hobart as it stood at just under 55%. In addition, it had a higher percentage of people than visiting cafés for coffee in Adelaide, representing 50%.

In contrast, buying fresh coffee had the lowest proportion across all five cities, although its figure was highest in Sydney, at around 45%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have provided a clear overview and selected key features to report. However, the response is somewhat limited in its coverage of the data. While you mention the highest figures, you fail to provide a comprehensive comparison across all five cities. For instance, the data for Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth is largely ignored. To reach a higher band, you must ensure that all categories are compared across the cities, rather than focusing only on the extremes. The summary is accurate, but the lack of detail regarding the specific city variations prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Looking first at', and 'In contrast' to guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the general overview and the specific data points could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main trends from the specific city comparisons, which helps the overall readability of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'accounting for', and 'represented'. There is some repetition of the phrase 'proportion of people', which limits the sophistication of the writing. You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, but the word choice is occasionally slightly imprecise, such as 'its largest amount was in Hobart'. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'percentage' and 'figures' would help improve the lexical variety and precision of your descriptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'while' and 'although' to create contrast. Most sentences are clear, and errors in grammar and punctuation are infrequent and do not impede communication. However, there is a lack of more advanced grammatical structures, such as passive voice or varied subordinate clauses, which would be expected for a higher band. The sentence structure is generally sound, but increasing the variety of your sentence patterns would enhance the overall quality.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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