Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-10

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 4.5)

the chart below compares the results of a survey about people's tea and coffee buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities .

overall, residents went to a a café for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks recorded the highest ranking between all five cities, with a percentage of 63%.

according to the figures in the chart, bought fresh coffee in the last 4 weeks had the Lowest raking .

turning to the remaining category , bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks by citizens is in between

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt an overview, noting that café visits are generally the highest category and fresh coffee is comparatively low. However, the response reports almost no city-by-city comparisons and gives only one figure, 63%, which applies to Hobart’s café attendance rather than being the highest result across all five cities (Melbourne is about 63.5%). The claim that fresh coffee had the lowest ranking is also too broad: it is the lowest category in several cities, but not in Sydney or Melbourne. The instant-coffee sentence is unfinished and provides no supporting detail. The response is 81 words, below the required 150, so the task is only minimally addressed. Include a clear overview and accurate comparisons across the cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview and then a transition to another category. Phrases such as “overall” and “turning to” signal the intended progression. However, the ideas do not develop into a complete report, and the final sentence stops after “is in between,” leaving the comparison unfinished. The sequence also lacks clear grouping of the three measures or comparisons between cities, so the reader cannot follow a sustained account of the data. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key details, and connect complete comparisons—for example, contrast café attendance in Melbourne and Hobart with Adelaide, then describe the coffee-purchasing figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “survey,” “percentage,” “category,” and “residents,” and the repeated labels make the topic recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “highest ranking” is not a natural way to describe a percentage, “lowest raking” appears to be a misspelling, and “in between” does not explain what instant-coffee figures are between. Repeating long chart labels also limits flexibility. Use precise reporting language such as “the highest proportion,” “the lowest figure,” “accounted for,” and “compared with,” while naming the cities and categories clearly. Check spelling and use natural collocations so the comparisons are easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few sentence forms, including an opening comparison and an overview introduced by “overall,” but the grammatical range remains narrow and several sentences are incomplete or awkwardly constructed. For example, “residents went to a a café … recorded the highest ranking” combines structures without a clear grammatical link, while “bought fresh coffee … had the Lowest raking” lacks a clear subject and uses an inconsistent capital letter. The final sentence, “bought instant coffee … is in between,” is incomplete because it does not state what the figures fall between. There are also article and preposition problems in “in last 4 weeks.” Build complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement, and punctuation.

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