Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-28
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 chart compares the buying, coffee and tea and drinking habits in five cities of Australia. It includes Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.
Overall, going to cafe for tea and coffee has become the highest trend in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart, However mostly people liked to buy instant coffee. While the ratio of fresh coffee lovers are least in all the cities in last four weeks.
The percentage of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea are more in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart in the last four weeks which are almost 60% and 62%. In contast Brisbane and Adelaide had only 55% and 50% individuals.
The trend of buying instant coffee rose in Hobart to approximately 52%, while in Sydney only 45% people liked instant coffee which is almost half of the cafe lovers. Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide each accounts for 46%, 52% and 50%.
Approxiamtey 43% of people living in Syndeny bought fresh coffee, while only 34% of individuals in Brisbane and Adelaide. It's mean very few people liked to drink fresh coffee as compared to those who went to a cafe for coffee or tea.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all parts of the task by reporting data across the five Australian cities for coffee and tea habits. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, stating that going to cafes was the highest trend while fresh coffee was the least popular, although some of the specific claims contain minor inaccuracies regarding the ranking of instant versus cafe visits. Key features and comparisons are highlighted, such as noting that Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart recorded higher cafe attendance than Brisbane and Adelaide. Figures are generally reported with reasonable accuracy based on the visual data. The response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, each dealing with a distinct aspect of the chart. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'While', and 'In contrast' are used to structure the text, though some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'It's mean very few people'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of coffee and tea habits. However, referencing is occasionally unclear, and logical progression between sentences could be smoother. Overall, the organizational structure is coherent enough to merit a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with domain-specific terms such as 'percentage', 'trend', 'fresh coffee', and 'instant coffee'. The student attempts some less common phrasing like 'ratio of fresh coffee lovers' and 'cafe lovers', though these show occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. There are minor spelling errors, such as 'Contast' instead of 'contrast' and 'Approxiamtey' instead of 'approximately'. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the main information, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses and comparative structures ('The percentage of people who went...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including subject-verb agreement issues ('each accounts for') and lexical-grammatical slips ('It's mean very few people liked'). Punctuation and article use are occasionally faulty. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they restrict the grammar score to a Band 5.5, as error-free sentences are not in the majority.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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