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 buying and drinking habits of Australian residents in five cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.

Overall, going to a cafe for coffee or tea was the most popular in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart, while buying instant coffee was the most popular in Adelaide. Buying fresh coffee was the least popular in all five cities.

To begin with, the proportion of people who went to a cafe in Melbourne was at approximately 65%, followed by Hobart and Sydney at around 63% and 61% respectively. Brisbane recorded a slighltly lower figure of 56%, whereas Adelaide had the lowest proportion, at just under 50 %.

Furthermore, the least common habit amongst the five cities was buying fresh coffee. Fresh coffee purchases in Sydney was the highest, at arounf 43% and lowest in Brisbane, at 34%. Similarly, buying instant coffee was the second most popular drinking habit in all five cities ranging from 45 % to around 55% in Sydney and Hobart respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task well. You have successfully identified the main features and made relevant comparisons between the five cities. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant trends, such as the popularity of cafe visits versus fresh coffee purchases. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, your description of instant coffee trends contains some inconsistencies compared to typical chart data interpretations. However, the overall reporting is accurate and effectively summarizes the provided information.

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 'Overall', 'To begin with', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through the information. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of data. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the referencing is generally clear. To improve, ensure that the transition between sentences is always natural, as some sentences feel slightly mechanical in their structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'recorded', and 'habits' effectively. There are a few spelling errors, such as 'slighltly' and 'arounf', which are minor but noticeable. You make a good attempt at using varied language to describe the data. To move into a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and ensure spelling is accurate throughout, as these small slips slightly detract from the overall professional tone of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and easy to follow, and the grammar is generally accurate. There are minor punctuation issues, such as the space before the percentage sign in '50 %'. While you show good control, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To achieve a higher score, aim to vary your sentence beginnings and use a wider variety of complex grammatical forms, such as relative clauses or participial phrases, while maintaining the current level of accuracy.

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

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