Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-29

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 percentage of people in five Australian cities, who bought and consumed coffee and tea in previous four weeks.

Overall, it can be seen that visiting a cafe for coffee and tea was the most popular choice in most cities, while buying fresh coffee was generally less common. Melbourne recorded the highest proportion of cafe visitors, whereas Brisbane had the lowest figure for fresh coffee.

In Sydney, around 44% of people bought fresh coffee, compared with approximately 46% who bought instant coffee. Meanwhile, around 61% visited cafe for coffee or tea. Melbourne showed a similar pattern, with roughly 44% buying instant coffee and 48% purchasing fresh coffee. The proportion who went to cafe was considerably higher, at about 64%.

In Brisbane, around 34% of residents bought fresh coffee, while approximately 53% purchased instant coffee. About 55% went to a cafe. In Adelaide, the figures for instant coffee and cafe visits both were close to 50%, whereas only about 34% people buying fresh coffee. Finally, Hobart had around 38% for fresh coffee, and the proportion of instant coffee and cafe visits were approximately 54% and 63%, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student provides a clear overview of the main trends shown in the chart, noting that visiting cafes was generally the most popular activity and identifying Hobart and Brisbane correctly regarding extreme data points. Key features for all five cities are reported, with comparisons made between fresh coffee, instant coffee, and cafe visits. Most of the figures cited are reasonably accurate compared to the visual data, such as noting around 61% for Sydney cafe visits and 53% for Brisbane instant coffee. However, there is a minor confusion in the Melbourne paragraph where the student swaps the percentages for instant and fresh coffee ("roughly 44% buying instant coffee and 48% purchasing fresh coffee", whereas the chart shows fresh at around 42.5% and instant at 48.5%). Despite this minor data slip, all parts of the task are addressed adequately and supported by relevant data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and separate body paragraphs grouping the data logically. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas smoothly, such as "Overall, it can be seen that", "Meanwhile", and "Finally". Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on specific cities. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally slightly mechanical or feature awkward transitions, such as the abrupt shift in the final sentence where multiple statistics are lumped together ("proportion of instant coffee and cafe visits were approximately 54% and 63%, respectively"). Overall logical progression is clear throughout the text, earning a solid Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to a task of this nature, employing terms such as "proportion", "residents", "illustrates", and "respectively". Less common lexical items are attempted, although there are a few minor inaccuracies or awkward word choices, such as omitting articles ("visited cafe" instead of "visited a cafe") and minor collocation slips. Spelling is accurate throughout. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the information clearly and with some flexibility, aligning well with the Band 6.5 or 7 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative structures ("compared with approximately 46% who bought..."). There are several grammatical errors and omissions, particularly missing articles (e.g., "visited cafe", "went to cafe") and a minor dangling or awkward clause in Adelaide ("whereas only about 34% people buying fresh coffee"). Despite these errors, the majority of sentences are understandable, and communication is never impeded. Control of punctuation is generally good.

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