Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-30
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 illustrates the information about the results of a survey about how many people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.
Overall, it can be clearly seen that the largest proportion of individuals went to a cafe for coffee or tea in all five cities, while only a few people bought fresh coffee. Additionally, most people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in Melbourne, whereas the number of people who bought fresh coffee was highest in Brisbane.
In Melbourne, individuals who went to a cafe for coffee or tea accounted for the highest proportion of 64%, compared to Sydney (61%), Brisbane (56%), Adelaide (49%) and Hobart (63%). That was almost similar to Hobart’s proportion. People who bought instant coffee recorded the largest proportion in Hobart, at 54%, closely followed by Brisbane at 53%, followed by Adelaide at 50%, followed by Melbourne at 47% and Sydney at 46%.
In Sydney, fresh coffee buyers recorded the highest proportion, at 44%, closely followed by 43% in Melbourne, compared with just 34% in Brisbane, similarly to Brisbane, at approximately 34% in Adelaide and 37% in Hobart.
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 student addresses all parts of the task and presents an overview with main trends. However, there are some minor factual inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the student states that the number of people who bought fresh coffee was highest in Brisbane, whereas the chart shows Sydney (44%) and Melbourne (42.5%) are higher than Brisbane (34.5%). Furthermore, in the body paragraph, the student mentions Melbourne had the highest proportion of café visitors at 64%, but Hobart was very close at 63%, and the comparison is somewhat muddled. Despite these data misreadings, the response successfully highlights key features and makes relevant comparisons across the five cities, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs focusing on different categories of habits. Cohesive devices such as 'while', 'additionally', and 'compared to' are used to link ideas. However, the progression within paragraphs can feel repetitive and slightly mechanical, particularly with the overuse of phrases like 'followed by'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group information by city and activity, but referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the dangling comparison 'That was almost similar to Hobart's proportion.' Overall, the arrangement is coherent, earning a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms such as 'proportion', 'individuals', 'recorded', and 'category-specific' phrasing like 'fresh coffee buyers'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice is occasionally awkward, such as 'how many people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main features of the chart, though it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. This performance aligns well with Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as the introductory sentence 'The bar chart illustrates the information about the results of a survey about how many people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in...' which contains redundant prepositions. However, the errors do not impede overall communication, and the writer maintains reasonable control over basic sentence patterns, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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