Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-24

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 6.5)

The chart depicts survey findings regarding beverage purchasing and consumption habits in five Australian cities.

Overall, Melbourne and Hobart showed the highest consumption of cafe coffee and tea over the four-week period, while Brisbane and Adelaide had the lowest fresh coffee purchases during the same time.

Melbourne and Hobart showed the highest consumption, with approximately 64% of residents visiting cafes. Sydney stood at just over 60%, while Brisbane had moderate consumption at 55%. However, Adelaide recorded the lowest at 50%, indicating a 14% difference between highest and lowest consumers. This variation suggests that cafe culture is most popular in Melbourne and Hobart, while Adelaide prefers purchasing instant coffee.

In contrast to cafe consumption, Sydney residents dominated the ground coffee purchases, with 44% buying this coffee during the four-week period. Melbourne followed Sydney at 43%, with both eastern cities showing preference for fresh coffee over other Australian cities. Although Brisbane's 34% showed minimal engagement with home-brewed coffee, Adelaide and Hobart recorded similarly low consumption at 35% to 39%, indicating southern cities prioritize cafe visits over home-prepared options.

On the other hand, Adelaide and Brisbane exhibited comparable pre-packaged coffee purchases at 50% to 53%, whereas Hobart significantly outpaced both at 54%. Sydney and Melbourne fell short at 46 and 48% respectively, indicating the least purchase of the ready-made coffee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart across all five cities and three categories. The overview accurately highlights the key extremes, such as Melbourne and Hobart leading in café visits, and Brisbane and Adelaide recording lower fresh coffee purchases. Key data points are selected and compared effectively, such as noting that Adelaide recorded the lowest café consumption at 50% and that Sydney residents dominated ground coffee purchases at 44%. The figures cited closely match the visual data, and comparisons are made logically where relevant, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 7 performance under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. The introduction is followed by an effective overview paragraph, which then leads into well-structured body paragraphs categorized by the different habits. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'In contrast to', 'However', and 'On the other hand', ensuring smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, as each main category of coffee and tea habits receives dedicated and logical treatment. Referencing is clear throughout, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement that meets the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, using terms like 'beverage purchasing and consumption habits', 'moderate consumption', 'dominated', and 'pre-packaged coffee'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'home-brewed coffee' and 'ready-made coffee'. There are occasional slight inaccuracies or awkward phrasings, such as 'ground coffee purchases' versus the chart's label 'Bought fresh coffee', but word choice is generally adequate and does not impede communication, placing the response securely in Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing exhibits a good variety of complex sentence structures, such as participial phrases ('indicating a 14% difference between highest and lowest consumers') and subordinate clauses introduced by 'while', 'whereas', and 'although'. There are frequent error-free sentences, and the control of grammar and punctuation is generally strong. Minor issues appear, such as the missing percentage sign in 'fell short at 46 and 48% respectively', but these do not impede communication. The mix of simple and complex forms with good accuracy aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

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