Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The bar chart illustrates the outcomes of a survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

Overall, it is crystal clear that the proportion of visitors went to a cafe for a coffee or tea in the last four weeks was highest as compared to other residents who bought fresh and instant coffee in Australia.

Looking at the bar chart approximately 44% of the residents from Sydney who bought fresh coffee and 45% who consumed instant coffee from a cafe in last 4 weeks. following this accounted for 60%. Interestingly, In Melbourne where 64% of residents went to a cafe for both items and half of people purchased instant coffee and less than 50% bought fresh coffee.

Moving to the remaining data where in Brisbane and Adelaide had approximately 50% customers who went to a cafe and bought coffee or tea and instant coffee in the given time period of the last weeks and other two types of sales were at minority. Surprisingly, Hobart city in Australia where more than 65% of individuals who purchased coffee or tea from a cafe and less than 50% who bought instant coffee and fresh coffee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by outlining the main features and making relevant comparisons across the five Australian cities. The introduction correctly paraphrases the prompt, and an overview is provided, noting the highest category. However, the data reporting is somewhat imprecise and contains confusing figures, such as stating that 'following this accounted for 60%' without clear context, and misinterpreting some chart details. Despite these descriptive flaws, the main trends regarding cafe visits and coffee purchases are identified, fulfilling the basic requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 5.5 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organized into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the cities. However, the overall progression is difficult to follow due to poor linking and tangled phrasing, such as 'Moving to the remaining data where in Brisbane and Adelaide had approximately 50% customers...'. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, and referencing is occasionally unclear. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within sentences is frequently broken, resulting in a score of 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'proportion', 'residents', and 'survey' appearing appropriately. However, there is a limited range of vocabulary, and noticeable errors in word choice and collocation occur, such as 'sales were at minority' instead of 'in the minority' and 'Hobart city in Australia where more than 65% of individuals who purchased...'. These lexical inaccuracies occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to ungrammatical fragments and run-on sentences. For example, sentences often begin with 'where' incorrectly, as seen in 'In Melbourne where 64% of residents went to a cafe...' and 'Hobart city in Australia where more than 65%...'. Punctuation is weak, and frequent grammatical errors cause strain and confusion for the reader, supporting a Band 5.0 rating.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.