Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates findings from a survey concerning the coffee and tea consumption, and purchasing behaviors of individuals across five Australian cities.

Overall, the data reveals distinct trends in beverage preferences, highlighting a prevalent inclination towards coffee and cafe visits, particularly in Melbourne and Hobart.

In Melbourne and Hobart, instant coffee purchasing dominates, with approximately 60% of respondents opting for this option. Conversely, fresh coffee remains the least favored choice across all cities, with percentages ranging from about 25% in Adelaide to nearly 45% in Sydney. This underscores a significant preference for convenience over freshness, as demonstrated by the substantial percentages of individuals purchasing instant coffee in these prominent cities.

With regards to cafe visits, Sydney and Brisbane emerge as the cities with the highest frequencies, where around 50% and 55% of respondents respectively, patronize cafes for their coffee and tea needs. These figures slightly contrast with Adelaide, which shows a lower percentage of cafe-goers of approximately 40%. The trend reveals a consistent pattern amongst the majority of the cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features from the bar chart. However, there are several notable data misinterpretations. For instance, the student states that instant coffee purchasing dominates Melbourne and Hobart with 'approximately 60%' (the actual figures are around 48.5% and 54.5%), and incorrectly claims that fresh coffee ranges down to 25% in Adelaide (it is 34.5%). Furthermore, regarding cafe visits, the student states Sydney and Brisbane were around 50% and 55% respectively, whereas Sydney was actually 61% and Brisbane 55.5%, while Adelaide was stated as 40% when it was closer to 49.5%. Despite these inaccuracies in data reporting, the overall trends are broadly captured, preventing a lower band, but the factual discrepancies hold the score to a 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. An introductory paragraph outlines the topic, followed by an overview statement, body paragraphs focusing on different categories, and a concluding synthesis of trends. Cohesive devices are used adequately ('Overall', 'Conversely', 'With regards to'), though paragraphing and referencing are generally clear. The text reads smoothly and maintains a coherent structure throughout, despite minor misinterpretations of the underlying data. This corresponds well to a Band 7 performance for cohesion and organization.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, employing terms like 'consumption', 'purchasing behaviors', 'prevalent inclination', and 'convenience over freshness'. There are some attempts at less common lexical items. However, inaccuracies in word choice and data reporting (e.g., misreading proportions) detract from precision. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication. This fits the Band 6 descriptor well, as the vocabulary is adequate for the task but contains occasional limitations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including participial phrases and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'highlighting a prevalent inclination towards coffee and cafe visits', 'where around 50% and 55% of respondents respectively, patronize cafes'). Grammar and punctuation are generally well controlled with frequent error-free sentences, though there are minor punctuation lapses (such as unnecessary commas around 'respectively'). The errors present do not impede communication. The control over grammar leans towards a solid Band 7.

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