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 chart below displays the results of a survey about peoples coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities .
The given data informs us the total percentage of people who bought fresh coffee in last 4 week, who bought instant coffee in last 4 week and the people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 week .
The Melbourne city shows a significant hike in the use of fresh coffee in last 4 weeks, around 64% . The city Adelaide shows a huge difference in the use of fresh coffee in last 4 week with a percent around 50 . Cities Hobart and Sydney shows almost equal use of fresh coffee that is around 65%. Brisbane has a reasonable use pf fresh coffee.
The major cities like Hobart, Brisbane and Adelaide has almost equal amount of usage of instant coffee, which is between 50% and 55%. Coming to Sydney it shows the least usage of instant coffee because they mostly prefer fresh coffee. Melbourne has a good rate of instant coffee usage of around 50%.
The people who go to cafe for coffee and tea are comparatively less when compared to people who use instant and fresh coffee.
Even though, Sydney report a high percent of cafe coffee usage of around 45%. Cities Brisbane and Adelaide have almost equal percent of cafe user around 35% . But Melbourne and Hobart have a reasonable rate of cafe users around 40%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the three categories and comparing the five cities. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, describing Brisbane's fresh coffee usage as 'reasonable' is vague and lacks a clear comparison to the data. The report would be stronger if it highlighted the most significant trends, such as the clear preference for fresh coffee in Sydney versus the higher instant coffee consumption in other cities. While the main features are identified, the lack of precise data interpretation and the tendency to describe figures in isolation rather than synthesizing them limits the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific category of the survey. There is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'The city Adelaide', 'Coming to Sydney', 'Even though'). Some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the comparison between cities is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between the data points would enhance the flow and coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic descriptors like 'good rate', 'reasonable use', and 'huge difference'. While the student successfully uses terms like 'significant hike' and 'comparatively', there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'The Melbourne city shows' (should be 'Melbourne') and 'percent around 50' (should be 'percentage of around 50%'). To improve, the student should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring accurate terminology when describing statistical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The major cities... has', 'Cities Hobart and Sydney shows') and missing articles ('in last 4 week'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before periods. While the student attempts to use complex structures, the accuracy is inconsistent. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical rules and ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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