Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-26
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 chart compares the results of an inspection of individuals' coffee and tea purchases and drinking patterns in five Australian cities. In the overview, the percentage of people who went to a cafe is higher, and the percentage of people who purchased fresh coffee is lower, in all five cities.
In Sydney, about 60% of people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in the last four weeks. In Melbourne, it is almost the same, with a little bit of a difference. In Brisbane, it will decline to 55%, but in Hobart it will again rise to 60%. People who bought instant coffee in Sydney and Melbourne are almost the same percentage, about 45%. In Hobart, it will climb to 54%.In Brisbane and Adelaide, the percentage is nearly 50%.
In Sydney and Melbourne, the percentage of people who bought fresh coffee in the last four weeks is virtually 42%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all three categories of habits across the five cities, satisfying the basic requirements of Task 1. An overview is attempted, noting that café visits were generally higher than fresh coffee purchases. However, the selection of data is somewhat erratic and fails to highlight the most striking overall comparisons or contrasts clearly (for instance, the dominance of café visits in Melbourne and Sydney versus lower figures in Adelaide). Furthermore, some of the reported figures contain inaccuracies when checked against the prompt data, such as stating Brisbane café visits decline to 55% when the chart shows 55.5%, and describing future or hypothetical trends incorrectly using future tense like "it will decline" or "it will climb" when reporting static survey data. Overall, the task is addressed, but the development and accuracy of reported features need tightening.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has an overall arrangement that attempts to group ideas logically by category or city, starting with an introductory sentence and overview. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, with the bulk of the city-by-city data lumped into a single dense paragraph. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. The progression between sentences feels disjointed at times, jumping abruptly between cities and categories without smooth transitions. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting abruptly from café visits to instant coffee without clear signposting. While the text is readable, the structural organisation falls short of the clearer logical progression required for Band 6.5 or 7.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic concepts related to shopping habits and percentages (e.g., "purchases", "drinking patterns", "percentage", "decline", "rise"). However, the range is limited, and there is noticeable repetition of basic verbs and phrasing, such as "almost the same", "percentage of people", and "bought". Attempts to use less common vocabulary are sparse. There are also inappropriate tense choices regarding static data that border on lexical or grammatical inappropriacy, though word-choice errors do not generally impede communication. The lexical range is minimally sufficient for a band 5.5 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, though many complex attempts are flawed by incorrect verb tenses. A significant grammatical weakness is the inappropriate use of the future tense ("it will decline", "it will climb") to describe static survey results from the past or present, which demonstrates poor control over tense consistency. Other errors include slight awkwardness in phrasing like "with a little bit of a difference". Despite these issues, the majority of simple sentences are grammatically sound, and meaning remains largely clear to the reader, aligning with the descriptors for Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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