Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-07
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 grapjh llustrates the proportion of coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five cities in Australia.
Overall, the people bought fresh coffee and instant coffee and went to a cafe for coffee or tea has the highest proportion in Hobart. While Adelaide has the least proportion.
In Sydney, people bought fresh coffee about 43% and people bought instant coffee approximately 46% while, the people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks. Furthermore, in Melbourne the people bought free coffee and instant coffee around 43% and 48% respectively in last 4 weeks. The people went to a cafe for coffee or tea about 64% in last 4 weeks. Meanwhile, in Brisbane the people bought fresh coffee and instant coffee approximately 34% and 53% respectively in last 4 weeks and went to a cafe for coffee or tea about 56%.
In Adelaide, the people bought fresh coffee and instant coffee around 34% and 50% respectively. Similarly, the people went to a cafe for coffee or tea about 49%. Finally, in Hobart the people bought fresh coffee and instant coffee approximately 38% and 54% respectively in last 4 weeks. The people went to a cafe for coffee or tea around 63% which is the highest proportion in the cafe.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You cover all three activities across the five cities and include many figures that broadly match the chart, such as instant-coffee purchases being about 53% in Brisbane and café visits being around 63% in Hobart. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: Hobart does not have the highest proportion for all three activities, since Sydney leads fresh-coffee purchases, while Adelaide has the lowest café attendance rather than the lowest result in every category. The Sydney café figure is also omitted. To make the main features clearer, identify the overall pattern accurately—for example, café visits are generally the most common activity, while fresh coffee is usually the least common—and compare the highest and lowest results by category.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic, understandable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a city-by-city account. The sequence from Sydney and Melbourne to Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart helps readers follow the data, and transitions such as “Meanwhile” and “Finally” signal movement between cities. However, the overview is difficult to interpret, and the body reads mainly as a repeated list rather than a comparison of the main patterns. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “In [city]” and “the people” constructions. Grouping cities or categories around meaningful similarities and contrasts, and using clearer references to the three activities, would create stronger progression and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “approximately,” and “respectively,” and the reader can generally identify the activities being described. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “Bought free coffee” appears to be a mistaken word choice for “fresh coffee,” while “has the highest proportion in the cafe” is an awkward way to describe the café result. Repeating “people bought” and “went to a cafe” also makes the report sound less precise. Use a wider set of accurate reporting expressions and collocations, such as “the share of residents who purchased” or “café attendance,” and check spelling, including “graph.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response communicates the basic comparisons using mostly simple clauses, with some attempts at more complex structures, such as the opening overview beginning “While Adelaide…”. However, that clause is incomplete, and several sentences contain faulty or confusing structures. For example, “the people went to a cafe … in last 4 weeks” is missing an article before the time phrase, while the Sydney sentence ends without giving the café percentage. The overview also has an unclear subject–verb construction: “the people … has the highest proportion.” Punctuation around “while” is sometimes incorrect, and the sentence patterns are repetitive. Practise complete comparative sentences and check agreement, articles, and clause boundaries.
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