Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-02
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 chart illustrates the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities in last four weeks.
Overall, the proportion of residents who went to cafes for coffee or tea remained relatively high throughout the period, whereas, the proportion of residents who bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks was the lowest. In addition, despite some fluctuations, the ratio of individuals, who bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks remained relatively stable.
Looking at the chart, coffees showed the highest proportion of residents, buying coffee or tea in Sydney accounting for around 62% and was much higher in Melbourne and Hobart accounting for around 66% and 64%. However, the proportion of residents was comparatively lower in Brisbane and Adelaide, accounting for only 56% and below 50% in last 4 weeks.
Furthermore, the proportion of residents, who bought instant coffee, gradually increased in last 4 weeks despite some fluctuations, reaching above 50% in Hobart, while its proportion was slightly was lower in Adelaide accounting for only 50%. However, the proportion of residents buying instant coffees followed the opposite trend. It was not so much popular among residents, at approximately 43% in Melbourne and was comparatively lower in Brisbane and Adelaide.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by reporting on the three categories across the five cities, but some parts are developed much more fully than others. The overview correctly identifies broad trends, such as café visits remaining relatively high, but contains some inaccuracies and confusion regarding the specific data points. For instance, the description of fresh and instant coffee trends becomes confused and misinterprets the figures in the second half of the body paragraphs. While the main features are partially presented, the lack of precision and some confusion over which category represents which trend prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response presents an overall coherent arrangement with an introduction, a clear overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs. However, the progression within the body paragraphs becomes somewhat difficult to follow due to mechanical or confusing referencing (e.g., jumping between categories without clear signposting). Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow is occasionally disrupted by vague descriptions of the data, making it hard for the reader to track comparisons across the cities smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic concepts and attempting less common items such as 'proportion', 'fluctuations', and 'ratio'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and inappropriate collocations, such as 'coffees showed the highest proportion' and 'slightly was lower', which reveal limitations in word choice. Spelling is generally correct, but errors in word selection and phrasing prevent a more precise delivery of the data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('residents, who bought instant coffee,'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in sentence construction, verb forms, and modifiers, including 'in last four weeks' (missing articles), 'slightly was lower' (faulty word order), and misuse of commas separating subjects from verbs. These errors occur across a limited range of complex forms, though they rarely completely impede overall communication.
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