Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01

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 the results of a survey on people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits across five Australian cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart.

Overall, it is evident that the figures varied considerably across the categories, with some recording substantially higher proportions, while another registered the lowest proportion. Hobart recorded the highest proportion of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea, whereas Sydney had the noticeably lowest proportion of people who bought instant coffee in the last four weeks. Meanwhile, the proportions of people in Adelaide and Brisbane were identical in the last four weeks.

Looking at the details, in the last four weeks, the proportions of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea in Hobart and Melbourne were both the highest, at roughly 63%. Thereafter, the proportion in Adelaide was the lowest, at slightly below 39%. Furthermore, the proportion of people who bought instant coffee in Brisbane and Adelaide were relatively similar, at roughly 52% and precisely 50%, respectively in the last 4 weeks. Sydney had a considerably lower proportion than other cities.

Looking most closely at the data, in the last four weeks, the proportions of people who bought fresh coffee in Brisbane and Adelaide were identical, at nearly 33%. Subsequently, Sydney and Melbourne had relatively similar proportions, at around 33% and 32% respectively in the last four weeks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting data across the five cities and the three categories, and it includes an overview in the second paragraph. However, the accuracy of the data reporting is problematic, which holds the score down. For instance, the student states that Hobart recorded the highest proportion of people who went to a café, but Melbourne was actually slightly higher (63.5% vs 63%). Similarly, the figures cited in the body paragraphs often conflict with the actual chart data; the student states that the proportion in Adelaide for café visits was 'slightly below 39%', whereas the chart shows it was nearly 50%. The details are under-developed or inaccurately supported with figures, meaning some ideas are unclear or factually incorrect against the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and separate body paragraphs for detailing the chart features. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the text, such as 'Overall, it is evident', 'Looking at the details', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and logical progression are occasionally faulty due to the confusing and inaccurate comparisons made between the data points. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the mechanical reliance on introductory phrases like 'Looking at the details' and 'Looking most closely at the data' detracts from a completely fluent progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and demonstrates a sufficient range for the task, allowing the student to attempt less common items with some flexibility. Phrases like 'illustrates the results of a survey', 'proportions', and 'substantially higher proportions' show an awareness of appropriate academic style. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and precision, particularly when describing the data trends incorrectly (e.g., claiming proportions were identical or lower when the chart shows otherwise), and minor awkwardness in phrasing such as 'noticeably lowest proportion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and introductory subordinate clauses with good control. There are frequent error-free sentences, such as 'The bar chart illustrates the results of a survey on people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits...' and 'Hobart recorded the highest proportion of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea...'. Grammar and punctuation are generally well-managed, and while a few minor slips occur, they rarely impede communication, placing the response comfortably within this solid grammatical band.

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