Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-20

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 7.5)

The bar chart compares the percentages of residents in five Australian cities who bought fresh coffee, bought instant coffee, or visited a cafe for coffee or tea during the previous four weeks.

Overall, visiting a cafe was the most popular activity in four of the five cities, while buying fresh coffee was the least common choice in every city. In addition, the proportion of people purchasing instant coffee was generally higher than that of those buying fresh coffee.

Cafe attendance was highest in Melbourne, where just over 60% of residents had visited a cafe in the previous four weeks. Sydney followed closely at 60%, while the figures for Hobart and Brisbane were approximately 58% and 55%, respectively. Adelaide recorded the lowest percentage, at just under 50%.

With regard to coffee purchases, buying instant coffee was consistently more popular than buying fresh coffee. Around 50% of people in Brisbane purchased instant coffee, making it the highest figure among the five cities, followed by Hobart at about 49%. The proportions in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney were approximately 46%, 45%, and 44%, respectively.

By contrast, fresh coffee attracted considerably fewer buyers. Around 44% of Sydney residents bought fresh coffee, compared with 43% in Melbourne. The figures were much lower in the remaining cities, standing at approximately 34% in Hobart, 34% in Brisbane, and 35% in Adelaide.

Taking everything into account, the survey indicates that Australians generally preferred drinking coffee or tea at cafés over purchasing coffee for home consumption, while instant coffee was consistently more popular than fresh coffee across the five cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and highlighting key trends and differences across the five Australian cities. The data cited is generally accurate and well-selected, effectively capturing the main features of the chart, such as the dominance of café visits and the popularity of instant coffee over fresh coffee. For example, the student notes that 'visiting a cafe was the most popular activity in four of the five cities' and accurately reports details like Melbourne's café attendance and Brisbane's instant coffee figures. While there are some minor discrepancies in exact percentages compared to the raw data (for instance, Hobart's café attendance is closer to 63% than the student's estimated 58%), these fall well within acceptable margins for visual data interpretation. The response is fully developed and well-supported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically sequenced and easy to follow. Ideas are well-organized into a clear introduction, a concise overall summary paragraph, well-structured body paragraphs focusing on specific categories (café visits, instant coffee, and fresh coffee), and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used naturally and effectively to guide the reader through comparisons, such as 'With regard to coffee purchases', 'By contrast', and 'Taking everything into account'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct trends, ensuring smooth progression from one point to the next without any noticeable mechanical or awkward transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for an Academic Task 1 response. Less common vocabulary items and functional phrases are used with good awareness of style and collocation, such as 'proportion', 'consistently more popular', 'home consumption', and 'attracted considerably fewer buyers'. Word choice is generally precise, and collocation is natural throughout the text. Spelling and word formation are accurate, and minor inaccuracies do not impede communication. The vocabulary supports clear comparisons and precise reporting of the visual data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The student exhibits a good command of grammatical structures, successfully blending simple and complex sentences. There is a frequent use of error-free sentences, alongside complex forms such as participial phrases ('Making it the highest figure') and comparative structures ('while the figures for Hobart and Brisbane were approximately 58% and 55%, respectively'). Punctuation is handled accurately, and control over tense and agreement is strong throughout. Errors are extremely rare and do not impede communication, demonstrating a high level of grammatical accuracy appropriate for a Band 8 score.

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