Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 percentage of residents in five Australian cities who brought the fresh coffee , instant coffee and went to cafe for coffee or tea in recent 4 week

Overall , most of the people went cafe for drinking tea or coffee in all cities except Adelaide where people preferred equal cafe visits and instant coffee . buying fresh coffee is least common activity in all five country .

In Sydney , approximately 44% of people brought fresh coffee , compared with 46 % who purchased instant coffee . however , around 61% went to cafes . similarly Melbourne recorded about 43% for tea fresh coffee and 48% for instant while cafe visit were the highest at roughly 64% .

in Brisbane , the proportion buying fresh coffee was considerably lower at around 34% whereas 53% bought instant coffee and aproxaimitely 55% visit cafe Adelaide showed a different pattern with about 35% instant coo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the data, such as the general trend of cafe visits being the most popular activity. However, the response is incomplete; it cuts off abruptly at the end while discussing Adelaide, failing to provide a full summary of the data for all five cities. While the overview is present, the lack of completion significantly impacts the ability to fully address the task. Key comparisons are attempted, but the incomplete nature of the report means that the final data points are missing, preventing a comprehensive summary of the information provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete ending. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In Sydney', and 'similarly', but they are sometimes used in a mechanical way. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the abrupt termination of the text disrupts the overall flow and logical development of the response. To improve, ensure that all data points are fully integrated and that the conclusion provides a cohesive wrap-up of the main trends identified.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'aproxaimitely' and 'coo' (which appears to be a cut-off word). The use of 'brought' instead of 'bought' is a recurring error that affects the clarity of the report. While the student attempts to use terms like 'proportion' and 'recorded', the overall lexical control is limited. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to data description and ensure accurate spelling of key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Examples include 'most of the people went cafe' (missing preposition), 'buying fresh coffee is least common activity' (missing article), and 'cafe visit were the highest' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters at the start of sentences and erratic spacing. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent sentence punctuation would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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