Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-03
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 data of survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.
Overall, it is clear that proportion of residents went to cafe for coffee or tea was probably higher, recorded in Melbourne while the lowest has been recorded for those who bought fresh coffee in Adelaide in last 4 weeks.
Looking first at sydney, the percentage of people going to cafe was more than 60%, while 45% of residents bought instant coffee, whereas percenatge of people who bought fresh coffee was between 40-45%. Similarly, in melbourne too, ratio of people went to cafe was more than 60% which was higher compared to people who bought fresh and instant coffee in last 4 weeks.
Regarding the remaining cities, in Brisbane the proportion of people who went to cafe was 55% and those who bought fresh coffee was between 50-55% while those who bought fresh coffee made up between 30-35%. In Adeliade there was no significant difference in pecentage of residents went to cafe or bought instant coffee, however only 30-35% people were seen interested in buying fresh coffee.Turning towards Hobart, the trend followed the same there having proportion of people gone to cafe was higher which was more than 60% in comparison to the people who bought instant coffee which was between 50-55%, followed by those who bought fresh coffee made up between 35-40%.
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 main parts of the task by reporting data across the five cities, but some ideas and comparisons are under-developed or inaccurately presented. While the overview attempts to highlight general trends, such as noting that visiting a café was popular in Melbourne, it contains confusing phrasing and minor inaccuracies. Furthermore, some data points are misread or poorly synthesised, such as stating in the body paragraphs that the proportion for fresh coffee in Brisbane was 'between 30-35%' after previously mentioning conflicting ranges, and mixing up percentages for instant versus fresh coffee. To move to a higher band, the response needs to present a clearer, more accurate overview of key trends and support all reported data with precise figures directly from the chart without internal contradictions.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates some overall organisation with an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs separated by cities. However, the logical progression is hindered by mechanical and repetitive transitions, such as 'Looking first at sydney', 'Similarly, in melbourne too', and 'Turning towards Hobart'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are used rather repetitively and mechanically. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal flow within paragraphs feels disjointed due to clumsy linking words and repetitive sentence openings. To achieve a higher band, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that the progression of ideas from city to city feels smooth and cohesive rather than formulaic.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common topic-related terms such as 'proportion', 'residents', and 'trend followed the same'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos throughout the text, such as 'percenatge', 'Adeliade', and using 'ratio' instead of 'proportion' or 'percentage'. Spelling mistakes and minor inaccuracies in collocation occur, though they do not severely impede communication. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of vocabulary with greater precision, improve spelling accuracy, and avoid repetitive phrasing like 'bought fresh coffee' and 'went to cafe'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures are often faulty and marred by frequent grammatical errors. There are noticeable issues with article usage, such as missing articles ('in sydney', 'in melbourne', 'went to cafe'), preposition errors ('proportion of residents went to cafe'), and subject-verb agreement or tense inconsistencies ('the lowest has been recorded', 'proportion of people gone to cafe'). Punctuation is also occasionally neglected, such as a lack of capitalisation for proper nouns like 'sydney', 'melbourne', and 'Adeliade'. To improve, the writer must exercise better control over basic grammatical structures, articles, and punctuation, while ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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