Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The bar graph compares the proportions of local residents in five Australian cities who bought fresh coffee, instant coffee, or visited a cafe for coffee or tea during the previous four weeks.

Overall, visiting cafe was the most popular activity in most cities, particularly in Melbourne and Hobart. While buying fresh coffee was least popular in all five cities. In Adelaide, visiting cafe was slightly less popular than instant coffee.

Looking at the details, Sydney was the city which had the highest proportion of buying fresh coffee at 44%, instant coffee around 46% and visiting cafe was at 62%. Where in Melbourne, visiting cafe was most popular activity around 64%, the instant coffee and fresh coffee stood at 49% and 43% respectively.

However, again in Brisbane visiting cafe was highest priority activity approximately 55%. In Adelaide city, the instant coffee was bought at highest proportion at 50%. Finally in Hobart the visiting cafe was at 62%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by covering the three survey categories across the five Australian cities. An overview is successfully presented in the second paragraph, highlighting key overall trends such as the popularity of visiting cafes. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While some data points are clearly reported, others are presented as isolated lists without sufficient comparison or extension. For instance, the details for Sydney and Melbourne are somewhat rushed into a single paragraph without fully exploring the broader implications or contrasting all categories thoroughly. This places the response firmly within the expected band for this criterion, as the main features are selected and reported, but certain parts lack deeper development and clear comparative analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, separating the introduction, overview, and specific city details. However, logical progression is occasionally disrupted by mechanical or faulty cohesion. Phrases like "Where in Melbourne" and "However, again in Brisbane" create awkward transitions between sentences and paragraphs, making the flow somewhat disjointed. Referencing and cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes repetitive or inaccurate in function. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices to smoothly link ideas and ensure a seamless progression of information throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, successfully conveying information about percentages, habits, and preferences. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as "proportions," "residents," and "respectively," which demonstrates a sufficient range for basic flexibility. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as writing "visiting cafe" instead of "visiting cafes" or "going to a cafe," and omitting necessary articles. Spelling and word-choice errors are present, but they do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily follow the intended meaning. This solid performance reflects the mid-band level for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as subordinate clauses ("while buying fresh coffee was least popular"). There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly concerning article usage (e.g., "visiting cafe was highest priority activity") and sentence fragments or awkward relative clauses (e.g., "Where in Melbourne, visiting cafe was most popular activity"). Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the basic meaning remains clear. The control of grammar is typical of this band, showing reasonable control over simple structures alongside persistent minor errors when attempting more complex formations.

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

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