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 given graph gives monthly data of people's coffee and tea purchasing and consumption habits in five different Australian cities . Through this information we can get idea of consumption of tea and coffee by people of Australia.
In Sydney ,nearly 43%of fresh coffee is bought last month, and 46% of instant coffee was bought by the people.in additional to this nearly 62% of the people went to cafe for coffee. In Melbourne, nearly 42%of people bought fresh coffee , nearly 48% of the residents bought instant coffee and nearly 63% of the people went to cafe for coffee. In Brisbane approx 34% of people bought fresh coffee, nearly 53% of residents bought instant coffee and 55% of people went to cafe for coffee. Talking about Adelaide, nearly 34% of residents bought fresh coffee, 50% of them bought instant coffee and approx 49% of them went to cafe for coffee. Last but not the least Hobart ,about 37% of people bought fresh coffee, approx 545 of them bought instant coffee and nearly 63% of them went to cafe for coffee.
Among all 5 cities, Sydney at the top in the residents who bought fresh coffee ,Brisbane is at the top in the residents who bought more instant coffee and Melbourne at the top for the people who went to cafe for coffee.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 reporting on the five cities and the three categories. However, the presentation is largely a list of data points rather than a summary of main features. While you identify some 'top' cities in the final paragraph, the body paragraph is repetitive, listing figures city-by-city without grouping or synthesizing the information effectively. To improve, you should look for trends or significant differences between the categories (e.g., comparing the popularity of cafe visits versus home consumption) rather than just transcribing the numbers for each location. The inclusion of '545' for Hobart is a clear data error that misrepresents the chart.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure. However, the progression within the second paragraph is mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on 'In [City], nearly X%...'. The use of cohesive devices is limited and somewhat formulaic. While the overall arrangement is coherent, the lack of varied linking words makes the text feel like a series of isolated sentences rather than a cohesive report. To improve, use more sophisticated transition words and vary your sentence structure to better connect the comparisons between the cities.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on basic phrases like 'people bought' and 'went to cafe'. There is little attempt to use less common vocabulary or synonyms to describe the data (e.g., 'purchased,' 'consumed,' 'frequented,' 'proportion,' 'percentage'). Additionally, there are minor errors in word choice and phrasing, such as 'gives monthly data of' instead of 'provides data on'. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of academic vocabulary to describe trends and proportions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'In Sydney ,nearly 43%of fresh coffee' lacks proper spacing and capitalization. There are also issues with article usage ('at the top in the residents') and prepositional errors. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to basic punctuation rules, such as placing a space after a comma, and ensure subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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