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 results of a survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart in last 4 weeks.
Overall, residents who went to a cafe for coffee or tea had the highest figure throughout five cities, whereas people who brought the fresh coffee recorded the lowest. In general, 4 out of 5 cities recorded the highest percentage in visiting the cafe.
Looking first at Sydney and Melbourne residents visiting cafe recorded the the highest percentage approximately 61% and 64% respectively, followed by people drinking instant coffee at around 46% and 48%, while purchasing fresh coffee in melbourne stood in 43%.
Turning to Brisbane and Hobart visitors to cafe for coffee or tea had the highest percentage, while Adelaide has the in visiting cafe. People drinking instant coffee was 52% in Brisbane, 50% in Adelaide and 54% in Hobart respectively. People in Brisbane and Adelaide recorded the same proportion in purchasing fresh coffee that is 34%.
Meanwhile, Hobart recorded around 38%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| 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 presenting data across the five cities, though some details are under-developed or inaccurately reported. For instance, the statement that people who bought fresh coffee recorded the lowest overall is generally supported, but there are minor inaccuracies in reporting specific figures, such as stating Brisbane and Adelaide recorded 34% for fresh coffee when the chart shows 34.5%. Furthermore, the sentence about Adelaide ('while Adelaide has the in visiting cafe') is incomplete and fails to convey the data clearly. The overview captures some broad trends, such as café visits generally being highest, but the selection of features lacks full extension and precision. Addressing all parts more fully with accurate data extraction would elevate this aspect of the report.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates some organisation with basic paragraphing and an initial overview, but it lacks a clear overall progression. Transitions between sentences and paragraphs can feel abrupt or mechanical, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the fragmented sentence regarding Adelaide. Cohesive devices are used sparingly and sometimes inaccurately, which disrupts the flow of information. To achieve higher bands, the writer needs to ensure a smoother logical progression between ideas and cities, employ a wider range of cohesive devices more accurately, and structure paragraphs so that comparisons and trends are clearly sequenced and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, with some attempts at topic-specific terminology such as 'survey', 'proportion', and 'residents'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'brought the fresh coffee' instead of 'bought fresh coffee', and missing words like 'visitors to cafe for coffee or tea had the highest percentage, while Adelaide has the in visiting cafe'. These errors reflect a limited range and occasional difficulty with word choice and collocation, though communication is generally maintained. Incorporating a more varied and precise range of vocabulary, along with correct collocations, would significantly improve this score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response employs a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple clauses and basic relative or participial modifications. Attempts at complex sentences frequently result in grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('visiting cafe recorded the the highest percentage'), punctuation issues, and awkward prepositional phrases ('in last 4 weeks'). There are frequent errors in grammar that can cause occasional difficulty for the reader, such as incomplete clauses and subject-verb agreement slips. To progress, the writer should aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence forms with greater accuracy, paying careful attention to articles, prepositions, and complete clause structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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