Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-29

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 bar chart illustrates coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five cities in Australia. The data shows every city has a their unique characteristics for their drinking habits.

Overall, Australian people tends to go to a cafe rather making one by themselves. In Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, over 60% people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in the last 4 weeks. Similarly in Brisbane and Adelaide, more than 50% people went to a cafe. This habit shows people enjoys their drinks more in the cafe.

In comparison to fresh coffee and instant coffee, every city prefers instant coffee over fresh coffee. It seems like they don't want to spend extra time preparing their drinks while sacrificing a bit of the taste. Almost 45%-55% in each city chooses instant coffee.

In conclusion, most of the Australian people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in the last 4 weeks. The rest bought fresh or instant coffee to make their drinks at home.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart, such as the high preference for cafes and the general trend regarding instant coffee. However, the response lacks a clear overview of the data differences between the five cities. While you mention that every city has unique characteristics, you do not elaborate on these specific variations (e.g., noting that Sydney had the highest cafe attendance while Hobart had the lowest). Furthermore, your analysis includes subjective commentary, such as 'It seems like they don't want to spend extra time,' which is not supported by the data provided. To improve, focus strictly on reporting the figures and making direct comparisons between the cities without speculating on the reasons behind the habits.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for different categories, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For instance, you rely heavily on simple transitions like 'In comparison to' and 'In conclusion.' To reach a higher band, try to integrate more varied linking words and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'this habit') clearly points back to the specific data mentioned previously. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal flow between sentences could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'illustrates,' 'characteristics,' and 'preference.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Australian people tends to go' should be 'Australians tend to go,' and 'making one by themselves' is slightly informal for an academic report. Additionally, the phrase 'sacrificing a bit of the taste' is more conversational than academic. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology related to data reporting, such as 'proportion,' 'majority,' or 'significant,' and ensure your subject-verb agreement is consistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Australian people tends') and article usage ('a cafe' vs 'the cafe'). There is also a minor error in 'every city has a their unique characteristics,' where the pronoun is redundant. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, practice proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensure that your use of articles and pronouns is precise.

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

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