Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-26

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 given bar chart compares the coffee and tea buying and drinking habits of people in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.

Overall, it is clear that visiting to cafe to drink coffee or tea was the most popular habit in all the five cities, while buying instant coffee was generally the least common. Melbourne recorded the highest proportion who visited cafes, whereas Brisbane had the lowest figure for this activity.

In Sydney, approximately 44% of people bought instant coffee, compared with around 43% who purchased ground coffee. However, a considerably higher proportion, about 61%, went to cafe for coffee or tea. In Melbourne, the figures were approximately 48% for instant coffee, while around 64% visited cafes, making it the highest figure on the chart.

In Brisbane, about 34% of people bought instant coffee, while exactly 50% purchased ground coffee. Around 55% went to cafes. A similar pattern can be seen in Adelaide, where approximately 35% bought instant coffee, compared with about 49% who visited cafes. Finally, in Hobart, around 38% purchased instant coffee and 50% bought ground coffee, while approximately 63% went to cafes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task. You have identified the main features and provided relevant comparisons across the five cities. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant trends, such as the popularity of cafe visits versus the lower frequency of instant coffee consumption. You have supported your points with data from the chart, which helps to illustrate the differences between the cities effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that you consistently include all categories (instant, ground, and cafe) for every city mentioned, as the data for ground coffee was omitted for some cities like Adelaide, which slightly limits the depth of the comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by city. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'however', 'whereas', and 'finally', to link your points. However, the cohesion is occasionally a bit mechanical. To improve, you could use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is presented in a way that allows the reader to understand the data comparisons without confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'recorded', and 'figure' appropriately. The language is generally accurate and conveys the intended meaning without difficulty. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, and there is limited use of less common lexical items. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms or collocations related to data description, such as 'a significant majority', 'a marginal difference', or 'the most prevalent habit'. Your current range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear, and your control of grammar is generally good. There are a few minor errors, such as 'visiting to cafe' (should be 'visiting cafes') and 'went to cafe' (should be 'went to cafes'). These errors do not impede communication. To improve, aim for more complex sentence structures and ensure consistent use of articles and pluralization. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the overall grammatical control is solid, though more variety in sentence construction would enhance the quality of the writing.

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

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