Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-24
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 graph below displays the outcome of a survey about individual's purchasing coffee and tea from the five Australian cities.
Overall, the chart shows the percentage of city residents who purchased coffee and tea from various cities of the country. On the whole, Melbourne experienced the highest percentage of coffee and tea, that is around 64%. Another point to consider, the buying rate of fresh coffee and tea is lowest in all over the five cities.
To begin with, most of the individuals went to a cafe to drink coffee and tea and the highest rate of citizens is in Melbourne. Moreover, the public bought instant coffee in last few weeks. The ratio of instant coffee was started from 46% and ended on 55% all over the five cities.
In addition, people's of Hobart and Melbourne prefers to go to a cafe to drink tea and coffee. Furthermore, they like instant coffee instead of fresh coffee. That is why the proportion of fresh coffee was dropping constantly.
In the end, the lowest rate of fresh coffee was around 37% in Hobart. Instant coffee was 52% to 54% respectively and the other cities Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide experienced the similar contrast.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the data, but it fails to accurately report the key features. The description of the data is often confusing or factually inconsistent with the provided chart. For instance, stating that 'Melbourne experienced the highest percentage of coffee and tea, that is around 64%' is unclear, as the chart shows separate categories for 'Cafe' and 'Instant/Fresh'. Furthermore, the claim that fresh coffee was 'dropping constantly' is not supported by the static nature of the survey data. The response lacks a clear overview and fails to make meaningful comparisons between the five cities, resulting in a fragmented presentation of the information.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often illogical. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with' and 'In addition', they are often used mechanically or to introduce information that does not follow logically from the previous sentence. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when discussing the cities and the categories of coffee. The overall structure is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of the data across the five cities.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'highest percentage', 'lowest rate', and 'coffee and tea' are used frequently without much variation. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'individual's purchasing coffee' (should be 'individuals' purchasing of coffee') and 'all over the five cities' (which is imprecise). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'people's of Hobart' (should be 'people in Hobart'), 'the ratio of instant coffee was started' (passive voice error), and 'the other cities... experienced the similar contrast' (article usage error). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction limits the range and accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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