Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-31
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 bar chart illustrate the result of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities. The y-axis represents percentage of city residents and x-axis represents the cities in Australia.
To begin with , there are three categories mentioned which is bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks , Bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks and Went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks. Moving forward , the first city is Sydney where highest people went to a cafe in last 4 weeks and almost same number of people bought fresh and instant coffee . The another city mentioned is Melbourne in which again highest people went to cafe whereas only 46% of people bought instant coffee and 40% of people bought fresh coffee. In addition , Brisbane is the another city where 56% , 53% and 34% of people went to cafe , bought instant coffee and bought fresh coffee respectively . The last second city is Adelaide where highest number of people bought instant coffee and almost same number of people went to cafe whereas only 34% of people bought fresh coffee . Lastly , Hobart where 63% of people went to cafe , 54% bought instant coffee and 37% bought fresh coffee .
Overall , the highest number of people who bought fresh coffee are in Sydney , bought instant coffee are in Hobart and went to cafe are in Melborne.
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 identifying the main features of the survey across the five cities. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing data city-by-city rather than grouping information effectively to highlight key trends or significant differences. While the overview identifies some high points, it contains factual inaccuracies (e.g., stating the highest number of people who went to a cafe are in Melbourne, when the chart shows Sydney is higher). To reach a higher band, you should focus on synthesising the data by comparing the cities rather than simply describing each one in isolation. Ensure that your summary accurately reflects the data presented in the visual.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally awkward, such as 'Moving forward' and 'The last second city'. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences feel mechanical. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, 'The another city mentioned' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used naturally would enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely heavily on repetitive phrasing like 'bought fresh coffee' and 'went to a cafe'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'highest people' instead of 'the highest percentage of people'. To improve, try to use more varied synonyms and precise terminology to describe trends, such as 'proportion', 'majority', or 'significant', and ensure that collocations are accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'The given bar chart illustrate' lacks subject-verb agreement, and 'The last second city' is an unnatural construction. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the frequency of errors in basic grammar—such as articles and pluralisation—prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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