Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-03

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 compares the individuals' habit of buying and drinking coffee and tea in five different cities of Australia in the last four weeks.

Overall, people prefer to go to a cafe for coffee and tea, but there is one exception in the case of Adelaide. The least preference for buying fresh coffee and tea in the last four weeks. Buying instant coffee mostly has a second, but in one case it had the highest proportion.

In the case of Sydney, individuals who had gone to a cafe in the last four weeks had the highest percentage, around 60%. Additionally, buying fresh and instant coffee had proportions of around 44% and about 45%, respectively. Regarding Melbourne and Brisbane, all had the same trend but a difference in percentage. In Melbourne, going to a cafe for coffee had around 60%, as compared to fresh and instant tea with around 50% and about 45%, respectively. In Brsibane, we went to a cafe led with around 55%, followed by instant and fresh coffee with around 53% and 34%, respectively.

In contrast, instant coffee took the first rank account for 50% and went to cafes with 49%, as compared to fresh coffee with a small proportion of 34%. In Hobart, going to a cafe class again sustained the highest share with around 65%, but instant and fresh coffee accounted for 49% and around 40%, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all five cities and the three categories (cafe, fresh, instant). However, the overview is problematic. The second paragraph is confusingly written, particularly the sentence 'The least preference for buying fresh coffee and tea in the last four weeks,' which is a fragment and lacks clarity. Furthermore, the data reporting is inconsistent; while you mention Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, the transition to the fourth paragraph is abrupt, and the city name for the final data set (Adelaide) is missing in the text despite being mentioned in the overview. To improve, ensure that every data point is clearly attributed to the correct city and that the overview provides a clear, accurate summary of the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by unclear referencing and awkward phrasing. For example, the phrase 'In Brsibane, we went to a cafe led with around 55%' is grammatically confusing and makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'Additionally,' but they are sometimes applied to ideas that do not logically follow one another. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks the necessary cohesion to guide the reader smoothly through the data comparisons.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. You rely on repetitive structures like 'around X%' and 'about Y%'. There are also instances of awkward word choices, such as 'going to a cafe class again sustained the highest share,' where 'class' is used incorrectly. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety in reporting verbs and descriptive adjectives limits the score. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied ways of describing trends, such as 'accounted for,' 'represented,' 'constituted,' or 'the figure for X stood at.'

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. Examples include 'In Brsibane, we went to a cafe led with around 55%' and 'instant coffee took the first rank account for 50%.' These errors in verb tense and sentence construction are noticeable. While you attempt complex sentences, they are often faulty. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentences have a clear subject and predicate. Proofreading for basic errors like 'Brsibane' (spelling) and missing articles would also be beneficial.

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