Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The graph depicts people's drinking and purchasing habits of coffee and tea in five Australian cities. These cities include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Hobart.
Overall, there are three cities that prefer to go to the cafe for tea or coffee, while there is one city that buys instant coffee as much as it goes to cafes for tea or coffee. In two cities, purchasing a fresh coffee is extremely less in comparison to buying instant coffee or going to cafes for coffee.
In Melbourne and Hobart, around 64% of city residents prefer to go to a cafe for their coffee or tea. In Sydney, around 62% people choose to go to a cafe. In Adelaide, below 50% of residents prefer to go to a cafe.
In Adelalide, people prefer to purchase instant coffee accounted at 50%, while purchasing fresh coffee is around 34%. In Brisbane, least number of people prefer to purchase fresh coffee around 32%. In Adelaide, city residents mostly purchase instant coffee accounted at 50%. In Brisbane, people mostly like to go to a cafe accounted at more than 55%.
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 attempts to summarise the main features of the chart, noting preferences across the five Australian cities. However, the report contains noticeable inaccuracies and generalisations when interpreting the data. For instance, the claim that 'in two cities, purchasing a fresh coffee is extremely less' is vague, and specific data points contain repetitions and minor inconsistencies, such as mentioning Adelaide multiple times with slightly repetitive phrasing. While an overview is provided and key cities like Melbourne, Hobart, and Sydney are highlighted, the lack of complete accuracy in data reporting and the omission of comprehensive comparisons across all three categories (cafe, instant, fresh) place this response firmly in Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is arranged with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs discussing specific cities, which provides a basic structural framework. However, the overall progression is sometimes hindered by repetitive mentions of the same cities and data points, particularly regarding Adelaide and Brisbane. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow of the body paragraphs lacks seamless transitions and clear progression, making the relationships between the data points slightly disjointed. This corresponds to a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'depicts', 'residents', 'purchasing habits', and 'proportion'. However, there are instances of unnatural collocation and awkward phrasing, such as 'purchasing a fresh coffee is extremely less' instead of significantly lower, and typographical errors like 'Adelalide'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited flexibility, and word choice errors occasionally impede precision. This performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('In Melbourne and Hobart, around 64%...'). However, there are noticeable grammatical inaccuracies, including awkward passive constructions ('accounted at 50%') and preposition errors. While these errors do not severely impede overall comprehension, they occur frequently enough to prevent the text from achieving a higher band. The control over grammar and punctuation reflects a standard consistent with Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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