Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-05
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)
This is a pictorial representation of Australian people's beverage preference. The graph is a histogram chart depicting buying and drinking habits of natives in five cities of Australia. The vertical axis shows city residents in percentages, whereas the horizontal axis signifies cities named as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.
Each city reflects three categories of spending on drinks in the last 4 weeks. First, buying fresh coffee shows maximum in Sydney. The second, in Hobart, most people buy instant coffee. Last but not least, in Melbourne most people prefer having coffee or tea in a cafe.
In contrast, a significant difference can be viewed in each city, as citizens wish to allocate the cost of piping hot drinks in a cafe over the fresh drink. However, all generations of Sydney and Melbourne have roughly similar tastes. Only Adelaide's buying capacity is more for instant hot brew than the one in a cafe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to provide a clear overview or highlight the most significant trends effectively. While it identifies some categories, the description of the data is imprecise. For instance, stating 'buying fresh coffee shows maximum in Sydney' is vague without referencing the actual percentages or comparing them to other cities. The report lacks a clear summary of the main features, and the analysis of the data is somewhat superficial. To improve, you should focus on selecting key data points (the highest and lowest figures) and making direct comparisons between the cities rather than listing observations in a disjointed manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is not always logical. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, such as 'First', 'The second', and 'Last but not least', which feels forced. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, the phrase 'all generations of Sydney and Melbourne' is confusing as the graph does not provide data regarding age or generations. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the overall flow could be improved by using more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the comparisons.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'pictorial representation', 'natives', and 'piping hot drinks', which are not ideal for an academic report. The term 'histogram chart' is technically incorrect as the provided image is a bar chart. While you attempt to use some descriptive language, the range is limited, and there is a reliance on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'trend', and 'fluctuation'.
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 example, 'buying fresh coffee shows maximum in Sydney' is grammatically incomplete, and 'Only Adelaide's buying capacity is more for instant hot brew than the one in a cafe' is awkwardly phrased. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentences have a clear, logical structure.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.