Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-21
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 graph illustrates the survey about the residents coffee and drinking habits in five cities in Australia. Overall, it is noticeable that Melbourne recorded the highest percentage of people who went to a cafe for coffee in last 4 weeks, while Brisbane showed the lowest proportion of fresh coffee buyers.
Turning to the details, in Sydney and Melbourne, people who bought fresh coffee accounted for approximately 44% and 42% respectively. Furthermore, the figure decreased around 34% in Brisbane and Adelaide. In addition, the proportion of city residents in Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney showed 63% 62% and 61% respectively who went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last four weeks. Moreover, in other countries, the proportion followed a gradual fluctuations throughout the period. Lastly, in Hobart, 54% of people bought instant coffee whereas Sydney recorded 45% of residents who wanted to buy instant coffee in last 4 weeks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the coffee and tea survey across the five Australian cities. An overview is provided, highlighting key extremes such as Melbourne's café visits and Brisbane's fresh coffee figures. Data is accurately cited for multiple cities, such as noting that fresh coffee buyers in Sydney and Melbourne accounted for approximately 44% and 42% respectively. However, there is a minor misstatement regarding 'other countries' when referring to Australian cities, and the description of data fluctuations is slightly vague. Overall, the response covers the required information well and meets the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for its selection of key features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall progression, beginning with an introductory sentence and a well-defined overview, followed by supporting body details. Cohesive devices such as 'Turning to the details', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition' are used to structure the text, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is adequate, separating the introduction/overview from the specific data points. Referencing is generally clear, though the sudden mention of 'other countries' disrupts logical cohesion slightly. Overall organisation is coherent, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'illustrates', 'percentage', 'proportion', and 'residents'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'approximately' and 'fluctuations', though some collocations and expressions are slightly unnatural, such as 'residents coffee and drinking habits' (missing an apostrophe and preposition) and referring to Australian cities as 'other countries'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. This performance fits comfortably into Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Overall, it is noticeable that Melbourne recorded the highest percentage of people who went to a cafe for coffee in last 4 weeks'. There are some grammatical errors and omissions, such as 'illustrates the survey about the residents coffee' (missing 'on' or 'regarding') and 'decreased around 34%' (missing 'to'). Punctuation is mostly functional, though minor slips occur. However, these errors rarely impede communication, allowing the response to achieve a solid Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.