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 coffee and tea purchasing and drinking habits in 4 weeks across 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 paid for fresh coffee in both cities (Brisbane and Adelaide). Nevertheless, 53% and 50% of population shopped for instant coffee. In Hobart, 37% preferred for fresh coffee. Nonetheless, 54% preferred instant coffee.
Overall, it is evident that maximum residents went to cafe in Melbourne while Hobart's residents bought instant coffee and Sydney's residents bought fresh coffee.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student has made an attempt to cover the main features of the chart regarding coffee and tea habits across five Australian cities. The response includes data points such as cafe visits in Melbourne (64%) and Hobart (63%), as well as statistics for instant and fresh coffee purchases. However, the report suffers from some inaccuracies and selective reporting of data, missing some key comparative highlights and misinterpreting the source chart in places (e.g., stating that 45.5% of people in Sydney purchased instant coffee when the chart actually presents different categories). While an overview is provided at the beginning and end, the data selection lacks a cohesive analytical approach to make the most relevant comparisons. Consequently, the response achieves a Band 5.5 for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is organized into four distinct paragraphs, including an introduction and an overall concluding summary. Logical progression is attempted, moving from general cafe visits to specific coffee purchasing habits. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. Phrases like 'At first glance', 'Probing further', and 'Nevertheless' are used, but the transitions between sentences can feel abrupt and disjointed. Paragraphing is present, but the internal flow of data within paragraphs lacks smooth continuity, leading to a Band 6.0 rating for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'purchasing', 'habits', 'calibrated', and 'residents'. However, there are noticeable limitations and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'percentage' instead of 'percentages' or 'percentages of the population', and awkward phrasing like 'around 64% residents went to a cafe which was closely followed by Hobart city'. Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally misused. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical range remains restricted, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. Examples include relative clauses ('which was closely followed by') and introductory prepositional phrases ('In Sydney, 45.5% people...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as omitting prepositions ('went to a cafe respectively') and minor punctuation issues. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Therefore, a score of 6.0 is appropriate for Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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