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 chart illustrates the percentage of city resident who has the habits of buying morning bevrages like coffee and tea in five cities of Australia.

Overall, People who went to the cafe for instant coffee and tea are ahead than those who went for fresh and instant coffee in last four weeks.

Sydney and Melbourne are the two places where most of the people prefer visiting cafe rather than instant and fresh coffee. Hobart also showed strong lean towards those people who visits cafe instead of choosing either type of coffee. In brisbane, Adelaide, and hobart, more than half of the population bought instant coffee.

Although, Fresh coffee was less prefferd, cities like Sydney and Melbourne had more than 40% and less than 45% of the people bought it. Whereas, in other cities it was bought less by 40% of the population.

In short, cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart leans towards cafe culture while Brisbane and Adelaide prefferd instant coffee with fresh coffee remained the least.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, such as the preference for cafe visits in Sydney and Melbourne and the higher instant coffee consumption in other cities. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. The report lacks precise data points to support the claims, such as specific percentages for each city, which is essential for a Band 7 or higher. The summary is also slightly confusing in its phrasing, particularly the comparison between 'cafe' and 'instant/fresh coffee' categories. To improve, ensure you include specific figures from the chart to substantiate your observations and avoid vague generalizations like 'more than 40%'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive sentence structures. For example, the use of 'Although' at the start of the third paragraph is grammatically incorrect in this context. Cohesive devices are present but sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the writing feel somewhat disjointed. Improving the variety of cohesive devices would help the text flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several spelling errors, such as 'bevrages', 'prefferd', and 'brisbane' (which should be capitalized). The word choice is often repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'bought' and 'went'. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'cafe culture' and 'population', the overall range is limited. To reach a higher band, focus on using more varied synonyms and ensuring accurate spelling of key terms and proper nouns.

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 subject-verb agreement issues ('city resident who has', 'people who visits') and incorrect preposition usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in capitalization and sentence construction. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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