Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-15

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 bar chart compares the proportion of people for their spending and consumption of coffee and tea living in five different Austalian cities. The cities included in the survey are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart.

Overall, Hobart and Brisbane were found to be the highest among other cities for having tea and coffee, while Melbourne ,Sydney, and Adelaide were comparatively found lower for buying and having these drinks.

Although the city of Hobart and Melbourne accounted for nearly 65 percent of the visitors a month, the number of people who actually consumed tea or coffee was relatively small. Similarly, people residing in Sydney were also among the greatest contributors to visiting cafes but spending and consumption was not found that much. While Adelaide recieved nearly half of the residential people coming to cafes, which is lower compared to other cities of Australia, but they all consumed coffees during their visits.

Almost 55 percent of people from Hobart bought instant coffees in last 4 weeks. Brisbane accounted for 53% and people living in Melbourne were 48%. Meanwhile, visitors in Sydney were more than 55% of the total population, but the proportion of people who consumed fresh and instant coffees was accounted for 48 and 51 percent in the overall city count.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the chart, providing a general overview and citing several specific data points such as the 55% for instant coffee in Hobart and 53% in Brisbane. However, there are significant flaws in data interpretation and accuracy. For instance, the statement that 'Hobart and Melbourne accounted for nearly 65 percent of the visitors a month' misinterprets the café attendance figures, and the text contains vague summaries like 'spending and consumption was not found that much.' Furthermore, some reported figures (such as Sydney fresh and instant coffee consumption) do not accurately reflect the provided chart data. These inaccuracies and under-developed comparisons place the response at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is divided into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, showing a basic attempt at paragraphing. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by confusing statements and poor referencing (e.g., 'while Adelaide recieved nearly half of the residential people coming to cafes... but they all consumed coffees'). Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, and the overall progression lacks seamless clarity, leading to a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but exhibits noticeable limitations and inaccuracies. There are awkward phrasings such as 'proportion of people for their spending and consumption' and a spelling error ('Austalian'). While some topic-related vocabulary is present ('proportion', 'consumption', 'residents'), the range is narrow and features imprecise word choices that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures frequently result in errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'Hobart and Brisbane were found to be the highest among other cities for having tea and coffee'. Grammatical errors and awkward preposition use (e.g., 'highest among other cities for having tea') persist throughout the text, though they rarely completely impede communication. This performance aligns with a Band 5.5.

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

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