Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-12
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 provided bar graph depicts the outcome of a survey regarding individuals coffee and tea purchasing and drinking habits in 4 weeks across various five cities of Australia. The data has been calibrated in percentage.
At first glance, it is crystal clear that in Melbourne, around 64% residents went to a cafe which was closely followed by Hobart city at approximately 63%. However, 61%, 56% and 49% of population of Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide went to a cafe respectively. In Sydney, 45.5% people purchased instant coffee whereas, 44% bought fresh coffee. Moreover, 49% bought instant coffee but 42% bought fresh coffee in Melbourne.
Probing further, 34% of residents pay for fresh coffee in both city (Brisbane and Adelaide). Nevertheless, 53% and 50% of population shoped for instant coffee. In Hobart, 37% preferred for fresh coffee. Nonetheless 54% preffered instant coffee.
Overall, it is evident that maximum residents went to cafe in Melbourne while Hobarts residents bought instant coffee and Sydney's residents bought fresh coffee.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers the main features of the prompt by presenting data for the five Australian cities regarding cafe visits and coffee purchasing habits. The student accurately reports key percentages, such as Melbourne having around 64% visiting a cafe and Hobart at approximately 63%, while making relevant comparisons between instant and fresh coffee purchases across different locations. The overview at the end captures broad trends effectively. However, there are minor factual inaccuracies regarding the number of cities mentioned in the opening sentence, stating 'various five cities' after mentioning '4 weeks across various five cities' which creates slight confusion. Overall, the task is well addressed with clear data reporting, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs detailing cafe visits and coffee purchases, and concluding with a summary overview. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'At first glance', 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Probing further'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes awkward; for instance, the transition between discussing percentages in the second paragraph and payment habits in the third paragraph feels slightly disjointed. Additionally, referencing phrases like 'in both city' lack precision. Overall, the text has a coherent arrangement with understandable logical progression, placing it firmly at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, utilizing terms like 'depicts', 'outcome', 'calibrated in percentage', and 'purchasing'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'shoped for instant coffee' (spelling and collocation error), 'pay for fresh coffee' instead of 'buy', and 'preffered' (spelling error). Furthermore, the omission of 'of' in 'individuals coffee' detracts from precision. While these lexical errors do not impede communication, they reflect a limited control over less common lexical items, aligning with Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and comparative forms such as 'which was closely followed by Hobart city'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('49% bought instant coffee but 42% bought fresh coffee', '34% of residents pay...'), missing prepositions, and spelling mistakes like 'shoped' and 'preffered'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but commas are occasionally misused around introductory phrases. The sentence structures allow meaning to come through clearly despite the errors, making a Band 6.0 an appropriate score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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