Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The bar chart compares the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

Overall, Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart show stronger preferences for going to a cafe for coffee or tea in the last four weeks, whereas buying fresh coffee is not popular in any city. Moreover, buying instant coffee in the last four weeks was moderately popular.

In Sydney, which is a city in Australia, people like going to a cafe for coffee or tea. Around 62% of people went to a cafe in the last four weeks. On the other hand, buying instant coffee was approximately 45%, and buying fresh coffee in the last four weeks was 44%.

Moreover, Melbourne and Hobart have almost the same percentage of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea, at around 63%. The other two types of coffee were less popular compared to going to a cafe.

By contrast, in Brisbane and Adelaide, people liked going to cafes and buying instant coffee. In Brisbane, the percentage of people who went to coffee shops and bought instant coffee was between 53% and 55%, while the last one, buying fresh coffee, was just 34%.

Furthermore, Adelaide had the same percentage of people buying fresh coffee as Brisbane, while the other two types were nearly 50% in the last four weeks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by covering the five Australian cities and the three coffee and tea habits, providing an adequate overview and reporting main features with some comparisons. However, certain parts are under-developed or less fully addressed. For instance, the statement that "buying fresh coffee is not popular in any city" is a broad generalisation, and some city descriptions lack thorough data integration or comparison. Key data points are mentioned, such as around 62% for Sydney cafés and 53% to 55% for Brisbane, but the selection of details tends to be repetitive in structure rather than deeply analysed. To reach a higher level, the response would need to extend comparisons more consistently across all categories and avoid loose generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview before moving into city-by-city details. However, cohesion can feel somewhat mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on transitional phrases like "Moreover" and "Furthermore" to link paragraphs and sentences. Referencing is occasionally loose, such as referring back to data categories as "the last one" in the Brisbane paragraph, which slightly obscures the logical flow. To achieve a higher standard, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices and ensure smoother progression between ideas without depending on formulaic transition words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the data regarding percentages, cities, and habits. The student attempts some less common vocabulary or varied phrasing, such as "stronger preferences" and "moderately popular." However, there are occasional awkward word choices and minor inaccuracies in collocation or expression, such as calling Brisbane "the last one" when referring to a data category. Spelling and word formation are generally sound and do not impede communication. To move to the next band, the response would need to incorporate a wider and more sophisticated range of less common lexical items with precise control over style and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, showing control over basic clauses and attempting more intricate constructions such as relative clauses ("which is a city in Australia") and comparative structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they occur infrequently and rarely impede communication. The control over verb forms and tense consistency when describing survey results from a past timeframe is generally good. Because this criterion reaches into the higher band, the writer successfully produces a good proportion of error-free sentences, though a lack of more varied, highly complex structures prevents it from reaching top tier status.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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