Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-09

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 graph here shows the data of a survey conducted to track people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in the last month in five australian cities namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart. The survey collected data to see how many people bought fresh coffee, instant coffee and how many people went to a cafe for coffee or tea.

Majority of the people in all the five cities preferred going to a cafe for coffee or tea. People preferred buying fresh coffee the least.

Out of all the five cities, Brisbane and Adelaide has the least number of people who opted for buying fresh coffee which is even less than 35%. Sydney has around 45% of its population preferring fresh coffee purchase and is at the top in all the five cities in the last month.

People's preference of buying instant coffee is the highest in Hobart (54%) followed by Brisbane (53%). 50% of the city residence in Adelaide preferred buying instant coffee and going to a cafe equally. The least among all the cities is Sydney with around 45% of the population and more than 60% of people preferred going out to a cafe for tea or coffee in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give a clear overview: café visits are the most popular activity overall, while fresh coffee is generally the least popular. Several comparisons are accurate, including the low fresh-coffee figures in Brisbane and Adelaide and Hobart’s high instant-coffee figure. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. Sydney, not Hobart, has the highest fresh-coffee figure, so saying Sydney is “at the top” is correct, but the wording “preferring fresh coffee purchase” is imprecise. More importantly, café visits are not above 60% in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart as a group? They are approximately 61%, 63.5% and 63%, so this comparison is accurate; Adelaide’s equal figures are also close to 50%. Develop the overview with clearer cross-city contrasts and report the main figures consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of comparisons. This makes the main message accessible, and phrases such as “Out of all the five cities” and “followed by” help signal comparisons. However, the progression is not fully controlled: the final paragraph combines instant-coffee rankings, Adelaide’s café figure, and café attendance in three cities, making it feel crowded. Some references are also vague, such as “The least among all the cities,” which does not immediately specify the activity. Grouping the data by activity or by notable high and low values, and using clearer links between these points, would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of chart vocabulary, including “survey,” “preferred,” “followed by,” and “population,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, several expressions are awkward or imprecise for describing statistical data: “data of a survey,” “track people’s … habits,” “opted for buying,” and “fresh coffee purchase.” “Majority” is also not the best fit when describing percentages below half, and “city residence” is an inaccurate form. These choices limit precision and naturalness, although they do not prevent the reader from understanding the comparisons. Aim for standard reporting collocations such as “the proportion of residents who bought” and “the figure for café visits,” while varying repeated uses of “people” and “preferred.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more extended sentence forms, and most of the comparisons remain understandable. Some grammatical errors are present, particularly in agreement and sentence construction. For example, “Brisbane and Adelaide has” should use a plural verb, and “50% of the city residence … preferred buying … and going … equally” has an unclear structure. The opening sentence also contains a long list that would be clearer with more controlled punctuation. There is some variety in clauses, as in “which is even less than 35%,” but the response relies heavily on similar sentence patterns. Check subject–verb agreement, plural forms, and the structure of sentences that compare two activities; these changes would improve accuracy without sacrificing range.

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