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 bar chart compares the results of a survey about people's habits of buying and drinking tea and coffee in five cities of Australia.
Overall, it is clear that a substantial porportion of residents went to the cafe for coffee and tea in last 4 weeks. On the other hand, intermediate porportion of people also bought
instant coffee and small proportion of residents bought fresh coffee in five cities of Australia.
In Sydney, 61% of people bought coffee from a cafe and 63% bought coffee or tea from cafe in Melbourne and similar trend fluctuates from 56 to 62% in other three cities Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.
In contrast, Hobart recorded highest proportion of people buying instant coffee recording about 54%. It initiated from 45% in the city of Sydney. While, trend for buying fresh coffee is comparitively less recording 34% in Brisbane and recording the highest percentage of 44% in Sydney.
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 response addresses the prompt by summarizing the main features of the bar chart, such as mentioning that visiting cafes was generally popular and highlighting specific figures for Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart. However, the coverage of the data is only partial and uneven. For instance, the overview contains vague assertions like 'intermediate porportion' rather than clearly synthesizing the primary trends across categories. Furthermore, some data points are misreported or generalized loosely, such as claiming that cafe visits in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart followed a 'similar trend fluctuates from 56 to 62%', which misses the actual figure for Adelaide at 49.5%. To reach a higher level, the response needs to select and report the most striking data accurately without grouping distinct categories into imprecise generalisations, ensuring all key features are fully supported by the text.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays some basic organisation, opening with an introductory paraphrase and attempting to separate body paragraphs by category. However, there is no clear overall progression guiding the reader logically through the data. Cohesive devices are used minimally and at times inaccurately, as seen in the abrupt transition 'While, trend for buying fresh coffee...' which disrupts the flow between sentences. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks clear structure, leading to a disjointed feel. To improve cohesion, the writer should employ a wider range of cohesive links with greater precision and ensure that each paragraph builds systematically upon the previous one with clear logical links.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, successfully conveying general concepts related to survey data. However, there are noticeable spelling errors, such as 'porportion' and 'comparitively', alongside awkward word choices like 'intermediate porportion'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but these slips and inaccurate word forms prevent precise communication. To achieve a higher score, the vocabulary needs to demonstrate greater accuracy in spelling and collocation, using precise terms to describe statistical variations rather than relying on repetitive or non-standard phrases.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response relies on a limited range of sentence structures, with frequent simple constructions and occasional attempts at complex forms that often contain errors. There are noticeable grammatical lapses, particularly with articles and prepositions, such as 'went to the cafe' (missing plural or article consistency) and 'recording highest proportion' without the definite article. Punctuation and sentence boundaries also show awkwardness, such as starting a sentence with 'While, trend for...'. To progress, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy, ensuring proper control over articles, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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