Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The graphs show the trend and priority of people in different cities of Australia when it comes to buying coffee that is fresh, instant or bought from a cafe. Melbourne and Hobart showing the highest trend when it comes to buying coffee from a cafe while Adalaide shows the lowest percentage of residents buying coffee from a cafe compared to the other cities. Brisbane has the lowest graph of approximately 34%, when it comes to buying fresh coffee. Fresh coffee does require a little more time to make and looking at the graph, it shows how the big, metropolitan city residents prefer to stop by a cafe to save time, even though it can be expensive at times, while the residents from other cities prefer to get an instant coffee. The comparison clearly suggests that all the residents of Australia have a clear inclination towards buying coffee from a cafe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the chart, noting trends across the five Australian cities. However, the response suffers from significant weaknesses in data reporting. For instance, the writer states that Brisbane has the lowest graph for fresh coffee at approximately 34%, whereas the data shows Adelaide and Brisbane tied at 34.5%. More critically, the student introduces speculation and outside knowledge that is not present in the prompt, such as claiming that fresh coffee requires more time to make and that big city residents prefer to stop by cafes to save time. In Academic Task 1, candidates must report factual data rather than explain the reasons behind the trends. Furthermore, the final statement that 'all the residents of Australia have a clear inclination towards buying coffee from a cafe' is inaccurate when looking at cities like Adelaide, where under 50% visited a cafe. Consequently, this meets the criteria for Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is presented as a single block of text rather than being divided into logical paragraphs. This lack of proper paragraphing hinders the overall organisation and visual clarity of the report. While there are basic cohesive links used—such as 'when it comes to', 'while', and 'even though'—the progression of ideas feels disjointed because sentences are crammed together without clear structural divisions. The opening introduces the topic, but subsequent sentences jump abruptly between different cities and coffee habits without a coherent grouping strategy (e.g., grouping by city or by beverage type). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall arrangement is only partially coherent. This performance aligns with a Band 5.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate basic ideas related to the prompt, using terms such as 'trend', 'priority', 'percentage', 'residents', and 'inclination'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and spelling errors, such as misspelling Adelaide as 'Adalaide'. The use of phraseology is sometimes awkward, for instance, 'Melbourne and Hobart showing the highest trend' instead of 'show the highest percentages'. The writer also tends to rely on repetitive vocabulary when discussing preferences and coffee types. Because the lexical choices are limited and occasionally cause slight strain or inaccuracy, this corresponds to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward clause structures throughout the text. For example, the opening sentence 'The graphs show the trend and priority of people in different cities of Australia when it comes to buying coffee that is fresh, instant or bought from a cafe' is overly convoluted. Furthermore, the fragment 'Melbourne and Hobart showing the highest trend...' lacks a finite verb, creating a major grammatical error. Frequent errors in punctuation and sentence construction mean that while meaning is generally retrievable, the reader is forced to pause. This fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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