Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21

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 on the coffee and tea buying and drinking habits of people in five Australian cities, including, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart.

Overall, visiting a café for coffee or tea was the most common activity in five Australian cities, while buying fresh coffee was generally the least common. Hobart recorded the highest proportion of instant coffee buyers, whereas Melbourne had the highest percentage of café visitors.

Just under 45% of Sydney residents bought fresh coffee in the last four weeks, whereas over 45% preferred instant coffee, followed by approximately 61% of people who went to cafés for coffee or tea. In Melbourne, roughly 43% of the population bought fresh coffee, roughly 48% bought instant coffee. Around 64% went to a cafés for coffee or tea. In Brisbane, around 34% of residents bought fresh coffee, compared with approximately 53% of residents bought instant coffee. Meanwhile, about 56% visited cafés for coffee or tea.

In Adelaide, the proportion of people buying fresh coffee remained similar, while the figures for instant coffee and café visits were both around 50%. Nearly 37% of Hobart residents bought fresh coffee, while the figure for instant coffee was around 54%, followed by more than 60% went to a café.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully identifies the main features of the data and provides relevant comparisons across the five cities. You have clearly highlighted the trends, such as café visits being the most popular activity and fresh coffee being the least common. The overview is clear and effectively sets the tone for the report. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are integrated more fluidly rather than listing them city by city. While the key features are present, a more analytical approach—grouping cities by similar trends rather than just listing them—would demonstrate a more sophisticated level of task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by category. You use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'while', and 'meanwhile' to connect ideas effectively. However, the transition between the third and fourth paragraphs is slightly abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally smooth. To improve, ensure that the referencing is consistently clear and that you avoid repetitive sentence structures when moving between different cities, which would enhance the overall flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'recorded the highest proportion' and 'preferred instant coffee' are accurate and appropriate for an academic report. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the use of 'bought' and 'around'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'buying' (e.g., 'purchasing', 'procuring') and more precise ways to describe data (e.g., 'a significant majority', 'a marginal difference'). The current range is adequate but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most sentences are clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'followed by more than 60% went to a café', which is syntactically awkward. A more accurate structure would be 'followed by more than 60% who visited a café'. Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the list of cities in the introduction. Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the grammar is generally reliable. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement in longer sentences will help improve this score.

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