Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-04

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 variety of beverages consumed by percentage of city residents across five different cities in Australia. Cafe visits by customers for drinks showed the largest share whereas least number of pepople drank fresh coffee.

The numer of residents who visited a cafe for coffee or tea was highest in all the cities, with Melbourne recorning the major share of around 64 percent residents. there was one exception in Adelaide where people preferred insatnt coffee over a cafe. Instant coffee is the second most preferred beverage in all the cities ,and most favorite in Adelaide. Citizens who preferred fresh coffee were the lowest share in all the cities. It was the least bought drink in Brisbane where people liked a coffee or tea from a cafe.

Overall the residents preferred buying tea or coffee from a cafe over both instant and fresh coffee,while fresh coffee was least preferred by all the residents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by presenting an overview of the coffee and tea habits across the five Australian cities. However, the information is only partially developed and contains some inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the text states that cafe visits showed the largest share overall, which is generally true for most cities, but it overlooks specific nuances. Additionally, the statement that Adelaide was the sole exception where people preferred instant coffee over a cafe is slightly imprecise, as cafe visits and instant coffee purchases were actually close in several cities, and Adelaide's highest category was in fact instant coffee (50%), but it missed comparing the exact figures accurately. The overview provides a general trend, but key features lack precise data support, which keeps the task achievement at a developing level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to group information logically into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding overview. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases between sentences are occasionally abrupt, and referencing is not always clear, such as in sentences like 'there was one exception in Adelaide where people preferred insatnt coffee over a cafe.' Paragraphing is used, but the progression of ideas from the data details to the general conclusion feels slightly disjointed due to mechanical linking devices. To reach a higher band, the logical bridge between individual city data and overarching trends needs to be smoother and more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words related to data description such as 'beverages', 'proportion', and 'preference'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('pepople', 'numer', 'recorning', 'insatnt') and minor word choice issues, such as 'variety of beverages consumed by percentage of city residents' rather than 'percentage of residents consuming different beverages'. While these lexical errors and typos do not completely impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score to a moderate level. Incorporating less common lexical items with greater precision and eliminating spelling mistakes would elevate this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to structure comparative sentences. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, such as missing capitalization at the beginning of sentences ('there was one exception...'), missing articles ('the numer of residents'), and occasional preposition errors. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur regularly alongside awkward phrasing. Achieving a higher band would require a wider variety of error-free complex sentences and more consistent control over basic punctuation and article usage.

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

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