Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-20

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

Overall, people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks accounted for the largest proportion in all four cities except Adelaide. However, people bought coffee in last 4 weeks were the least common among all five cities.

Regarding Sydney, almost 44% of the people bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks, while around 45% of the people bought instant coffee. People preferring to go to a cafe for tea or coffee accounted for approximately 61%. Looking at the figures of Melbourne, around 43% of the people bought fresh coffee, while almost 47% of the people preferred instant coffee. People went to a cafe for tea or coffee accounted for approximately 64%.

Brisbane, on the other hand, around 34% of the people bought fresh coffee. At the same time, around 53% of the people bought instant coffee and approximately 56% of the people went to a cafe for tea or coffee. Similarly, Adelaide accounted for 35% of the people preferring fresh coffee, while around 50% of the people bought instant coffee. Approximately 49% of the people went to a cafe for tea or coffee. Nevertheless, Hobart resulted around 37% of the residents preferred fresh coffee, whereas almost 54% of the people bought instant coffee. The people went to a cafe for tea or coffee represented approximately 63%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student provides a clear summary of the chart and highlights the main trends effectively, particularly emphasizing cafe visits and the popularity of instant coffee. However, the response could further enhance task achievement by including a concise overall comparison between the cities, especially for those that are similar, such as Sydney and Melbourne. To improve, the student should ensure that comparative insights are both clear and concise throughout the report. Overall, the task is largely addressed but lacks some depth and cohesion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The structure of the response is logical, with clear paragraphing and a progression of ideas. The use of phrases such as 'on the other hand' helps to contrast different city data. However, there are areas where coherence could be improved by better linking sentences and ideas, particularly when moving from one city to another. Transitional phrases could smooth the flow of information further and clarify comparisons, which would make the data easier to digest. Overall, the coherence is good but could be enhanced with smoother transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate but could benefit from more varied and precise lexical choices to enhance clarity and sophistication. For example, phrases like "the least common" may be replaced with "the least prevalent". The use of terms like "accounted for" and "preferred" reflects a good understanding of academic language, though there are repetitive phrases that could be varied. Expanding the lexical resource further with synonyms and advanced terms would strengthen the overall quality of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The grammatical range is competent, with the use of simple and complex sentences. The attempt to use various grammatical structures, such as conditional clauses, adds to sophistication. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as "the people bought coffee in last 4 weeks were the least common" which lacks proper tense and article usage. Minor agreement issues also appear, indicating that more attention is needed to grammatical accuracy. While the communication is generally effective, errors do detract from the clarity of the response.

Overall feedback

Your response does a commendable job of summarizing the key trends from the bar chart. You've highlighted the major findings well, particularly regarding the café habits in different cities. To further improve your task achievement, consider including a summary statement that draws a comprehensive comparison across the cities, which would enhance your overall insight. In terms of coherence and cohesion, let’s work on making smoother transitions between ideas and paragraphs to guide your reader more effectively through your analysis. Your vocabulary is appropriate, but incorporating more varied word choices and advanced expressions will elevate your writing. Finally, pay attention to grammatical accuracy to avoid minor mistakes that can affect clarity. Focus on these areas for your next writing task to achieve an even higher band score.

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

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