Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-14

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 6.5)

The bar chart compares people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five different cities in Australia, namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart, in the last four weeks.

Overall, it can be seen that the percentage of city residents who went to a cafe was the highest, whereas people who bought fresh coffee comprised the smallest percentage among all five cities of Australia.

Looking at the percentage of residents who bought fresh coffee at 43%, followed by almost 42% and 39% in Melbourne and Hobart respectively. While Brisbane and Adelaide accounted for a relatively small proportion of people with approximately 34%.

Notably, the percentage of citizens who bought instant coffee was the smallest in Sydney at 45%, followed by Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart (accounted for approximately 55%) in ascending order.

Meanwhile, the percentage of people who went to a cafe was the greatest in both Melbourne and Hobart which comprised 64%, whereas Sydney recorded just over 60% of people. The percentages of city residents of Brisbane and Adelaide visiting a cafe were 55% and just below 50% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student provides a good overview of the main features shown in the chart, noting that cafe visits were highest and fresh coffee purchases lowest across the five cities. Key data points such as the percentages for Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide are correctly reported and contrasted. However, the third paragraph contains a grammatical truncation where the main verb is missing ('Looking at the percentage of residents who bought fresh coffee at 43%, followed by almost 42%...'), which slightly hinders the clarity of data presentation. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed and key comparisons are made, placing the response solidly at band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with a clear introduction and overall summary, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to specific categories (fresh coffee, instant coffee, and cafe visits). Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Notably', and 'Meanwhile' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing and transitions could be slightly more polished to achieve a higher band. The progression of ideas is coherent overall, earning a band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, using terms such as 'percentage', 'residents', 'proportion', and 'ascending order'. There are some successful attempts at less common phrasing, such as 'accounted for' and 'compares people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits'. However, minor inaccuracies occur, such as awkward phrasing in data descriptions (e.g., starting clauses with 'Looking at... followed by...'). Vocabulary is adequate and generally communicates the meaning effectively, supporting a band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'the percentage of city residents who went to a cafe was the highest'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and incomplete structures, particularly in paragraph three ('Looking at the percentage of residents who bought fresh coffee at 43%, followed by almost 42%...'), which lacks a main verb. While communication is not severely impeded, these recurring grammatical slips prevent the score from reaching higher bands. Control is typical of a band 6.0.

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

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