Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-25

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 6.0)

The provided bar chart illustrates the outcomes of a survey regarding people's coffee and tea purchasing and drinking habits in the five Australian cities over the past four weeks.

As an overall glance, visiting a cafe for coffee or tea was the most common habit in four out of five cities, while buying fresh coffee was the least common.

In Sydney and Melbourne, around 42% to 43% of people bought fresh coffee, while 44% to 49% bought instant coffee, respectively. However, more than 60% of people in both cities went to a cafe.

In Brisban, Adelaide and Hobart, the percentage of buying fresh coffee was constant for Brisban and Adelaide, the ratio was 34% for both and 39% for Hobart. Buying instant coffee was more popular, the ratio was between 50% to 54%. However, visiting a cafe remained common, with 55% in Brisban, 39% in Adelaide and 62% in Hobart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarizing the main features of the chart and making relevant comparisons across the five Australian cities. An overview is provided, noting that visiting a café was the most common habit and buying fresh coffee the least common. Data points are generally reported accurately, such as noting that instant coffee was more popular than fresh coffee in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and omissions; for instance, the student misreads the café percentage for Adelaide as 39% when the chart indicates it is approximately 49.5%. Additionally, grouping cities into categories helps structure the response well, but greater precision in reading figures would elevate the score further. Overall, the task is covered reasonably well, meeting the core requirements of Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a clear overall structure, opening with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview paragraph, and then breaking down the data logically by city groups. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main features. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'As an overall glance', 'However', and 'In Sydney and Melbourne'. However, some cohesive links feel slightly mechanical or are used awkwardly, such as 'As an overall glance' instead of 'Overall' or 'In summary'. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraph transitions could be smoother. The progression of ideas flows logically from the overarching trends to specific city comparisons, ensuring the writing is easy to follow overall.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'purchasing and drinking habits', 'percentage', and 'café'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice is occasionally imprecise or repetitive, as seen with the repeated use of the phrase 'the ratio was'. Furthermore, there are some spelling errors, such as 'Brisban' instead of 'Brisbane'. While these vocabulary and spelling errors do not impede communication, they reflect limitations in precision and lexical control, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using subordinate clauses ('while buying fresh coffee was the least common') and coordinate clauses. There is reasonable control over basic sentence patterns, and punctuation is generally handled adequately. However, grammatical errors occur, particularly in punctuation and clause structure (e.g., comma splices such as 'Buying instant coffee was more popular, the ratio was between 50% to 54%'). Complex structures attempted by the student sometimes lack accuracy, but these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout the text.

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

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