Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-07
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 graph illustrates the comparison of buying tea and coffee from shops and cafes in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart.
Overall, Hobart has a higher number of coffee consumers who brought instant coffee and went to a cafeteria; residents of Sydney prefer fresh coffee more. However, Adelaide remained at a low percentage of caffine consumers.
Almost 60% of city residents explore the cafes for coffee or tea in three Australian cities, i.e., Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart, among those Melbourne remained on the top. However, the trend of fresh coffee stays under 45%, in which Brisbane and Adelaide witness only 35% of fresh coffee lovers in last 4 weeks.
According to a bar chart, instant coffee accounted for almost half of population of all the Australian cities. Among them Sydney and Melbourne have instant coffee sippers about 45% and 48% respectively, and Adelaide, Brisbane, and Hobart citizens drink 50%, 52%, and 54% instant 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 the main features of the data, such as the trends in cafe visits and the consumption of instant versus fresh coffee. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the claim that 'Hobart has a higher number of coffee consumers who brought instant coffee' is not clearly supported by the data provided, and the summary of 'fresh coffee' trends contains inaccuracies regarding the specific percentages. While the main features are identified, the lack of precision in reporting the data points prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure that the data cited matches the visual information exactly and avoid over-generalizing trends that are not clearly supported by the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Overall', and 'According to' are used to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the transition between the cafe visit data and the fresh coffee data. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the logical progression within the paragraphs could be smoother to ensure the reader follows the comparison of the five cities more easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'consumers', 'percentage', and 'accounted for' used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'caffine consumers' (spelling error) and 'brought instant coffee' (likely meant 'bought'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', or 'predominated', and ensure that spelling is accurate throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'remained on the top' (should be 'remained at the top') and 'half of population' (missing article 'the'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for articles and correct prepositional phrases would help improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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