Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The column graph elucidates the results of a survey about the individuals buying a coffee or a tea in the period of last 4 weeks in Australian cities.

Taking a general overview, the major buyers of fresh coffee was in Sydney, whereas the individuals purchasing instant coffee in last 4 weeks was in Hobart. The individuals buying coffee or a tea was the most in Melbourne.

It is pellucid that in the city of Sydney, the drinkers of fresh and instant coffee was almost the same which stood approximately around 45%, whereas the percentage of residents who brought a coffee or a tea exceeded its numbers to a little over 60%. In addition to that, the buyers of fresh coffee in last 4 weeks was almost 45% and the ratio for instant coffee drinkers stood at around 48%, while the tea or coffee drinker's proportion was the most which illustrated almost 65% in the city of Melbourne.

Moving further, the percentage of the fresh coffee drinkers was the lowest in Brisbane which was a little less than 35%, whereas the rate of instant coffee drinkers and the coffee or tea drinker stood at almost the same numbers which was an average of 54%. In the city of Adelaide, the fresh coffee drinker's ratio stood almost the same to the previous one, while the rest two categories was around 50%. The percentage of fresh coffee drinkers, instant coffee drinkers and coffee or tea drinkers had a positive progression in the same order.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features and making relevant comparisons across the five cities. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it lists specific data points rather than highlighting the most significant trends, such as the general dominance of Melbourne or the consistent popularity of 'coffee or tea' across all locations. While the data is generally accurate, the description of the trends is occasionally confusing, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between cities becomes muddled. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview synthesizes the data more effectively and avoid simply listing figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Taking a general overview', 'It is pellucid that', and 'Moving further'. However, the flow is sometimes hindered by repetitive phrasing and slightly mechanical transitions. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as when the text refers to 'the previous one' or 'the rest two categories', which forces the reader to work harder to identify the specific data being discussed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun reference would enhance the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'elucidates', 'pellucid', and 'progression'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the individuals buying a coffee or a tea' (should be 'the percentage of people who bought'), 'exceeded its numbers', and 'the rest two categories'. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a lack of precision. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations related to data reporting, such as 'proportion', 'segment', or 'trend'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the major buyers... was', 'the drinkers... was', 'the rest two categories was'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent tense usage when describing survey results would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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