Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-06

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 5.0)

The bargraph presents the outcomes of a survey about the humans coffee and tea purchasing and consuming habits in five cities in Australia.

Overall, the percentage of going to cafe for coffee or tea and buying instant coffee is high in all five cities, whereas people buying fresh coffee is fluctating in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart in the last four weeks.

First of all, the percentage of people who went to a cafe for coffee or tea is 64% in Hobart and Melbourne followed by Sydney with 61% whereas the people in Adelaide went very less than the remaining cities with just 49%.

Second of all, the people who bought instant coffee peaked in Hobart with

54% whereas the percentage of city residents purchased remained less in Sydney with 45%. The trend of purchasing instant coffee is increasing gradually.

On the other hand, the residents who bought fresh coffee is highest in Sydney with 44% whereas Brisbane and Adelaide remain equal with 34%. This trend shows the most fluctuating one.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, attempting to present data from the chart regarding coffee and tea habits across five Australian cities. However, the selection and reporting of main features are inconsistent, and some figures contain inaccuracies when compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that the percentage for Hobart and Melbourne was 64%, whereas the actual chart shows Melbourne at approximately 63.5% and Hobart at 63%. Adelaide is reported as going 'very less... with just 49%', when the visual data indicates 49.5%. Additionally, the overview is somewhat confused, claiming that buying fresh coffee is fluctuating across the cities rather than presenting separate categories for different habits. The response touches on the key trends, but the lack of accurate data reporting and limited development of comparisons prevent it from reaching a higher level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response shows some basic organisation with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, but there is no clear overall progression. The essay relies on mechanical and repetitive transitional markers to structure the text, such as 'First of all', 'Second of all', and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the grouping of information within paragraphs lacks logical coherence. For example, mixing different habits or treating them disjointedly hinders the flow of ideas. To improve, the student needs to use a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices and group related data points into logically structured paragraphs that trace clear trends across the cities.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'purchasing and consuming habits', 'fluctuating', and 'gradually', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice and expression. For example, using 'humans' instead of 'people' or 'residents', writing 'bargraph' as a single word, and phrasing like 'went very less than' are unnatural and imprecise. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'fluctating', do occur and occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their vocabulary and focus on accurate collocations and natural phrasing when describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response employs a limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside some basic complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are noticeable errors in grammar, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions throughout the text. Examples include 'the residents who bought fresh coffee is highest' (plural subject with singular verb), 'percentage of city residents purchased remained less' (missing object or passive structure), and awkward prepositional phrases like 'in Sydney with 45%'. Punctuation is generally basic. These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally pause or re-read sections to understand the intended meaning. Developing better control over complex sentence patterns and ensuring grammatical agreement will greatly improve this area.

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

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