Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-12

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 chart illustrates the consequences of a survey about people's purchasing and drinking coffee and tea routines in five cities in Australia.

Overall, individuals went to the cafe for coffee and tea in lat 4 weeks were at the highest in all 4 cities except Adelaide, a number of people who bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks were second in 4 cities while highest for Adelaide. People who bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks were at the least.

In Sydney, the large number of people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks were 62%, people who bought instant coffee were at second by 46%, and people who bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks are at 47%. In Melbourne, similarly the number of people went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks were 67% at highest, people who bought instant coffee were at second by 48%, and people who bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks were at 43%. In Brisbane, the hightestpercentage of people went to cafe of 56%, 53% people bought instant coffee while 34% people bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks.

In Adelaide, hight percentage of 50% bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks, 49% went to cafe for coffee, 34% bought fresh coffee within last 4 weeks. In the end in Hobart, the hightest percentage of 62% people went to cafe, 54% people bought instant coffee while 34% people bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern: café visits are generally the most popular activity, while fresh-coffee purchases are usually the least common, and you note Adelaide as the exception to the café trend. The city-by-city figures make the response relevant and cover all three categories. However, the overview is not fully accurate: instant coffee is not second in four cities, since it exceeds café visits in Adelaide and is also above café visits in Brisbane? In Brisbane, café visits are higher (about 56% versus 53%), so the exception is Adelaide only. More importantly, fresh coffee is not the least in every city: in Sydney it is slightly below instant, but the ranking is clear; several reported figures are noticeably high or low, such as Melbourne café visits at 67% rather than about 63.5%, and Hobart fresh coffee at 34% rather than about 38.5%. Select and report the key comparisons more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the five cities. This makes the information easy to locate, and the repeated city-by-city pattern gives the report a basic sense of organisation. However, progression is somewhat mechanical because each city is presented using nearly the same sequence of categories, with limited grouping or comparison across cities. The overview also contains a confusing phrase, “in all 4 cities except Adelaide,” which makes the scope of the comparison unclear. Linking expressions such as “similarly” and “in the end” do little to show meaningful relationships. Grouping cities with similar patterns and using clearer references to the categories would make the report flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “survey,” “bought instant coffee,” “fresh coffee,” and “percentage,” so the reader can understand the subject and categories. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “the large number” and “the highest percentage.” However, vocabulary is repetitive, and several collocations or word forms are inaccurate: “consequences of a survey” does not mean survey results, “routines” is not a natural description of the chart’s measures, and “hightestpercentage” contains a spelling and spacing error. Repeatedly using “people who bought” also limits flexibility. Aim for precise reporting language such as “the proportion of residents,” “recorded,” and “accounted for,” while checking spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences and comparisons, and the reader can generally follow the intended meaning. However, sentence structures are often faulty, particularly when a noun phrase is followed by a verb: “individuals … were at the highest” and “the large number … were 62%” do not form accurate constructions. There are also recurring errors with articles, agreement, and verb forms, as in “went to a cafe” and “people … are at 47%.” The overview sentence beginning “Overall, individuals went…” is especially difficult to process because several clauses are joined without clear grammatical control. Practise concise comparison structures, for example, “The proportion who visited cafés was highest in Melbourne,” and check subject–verb agreement and tense consistency in each sentence.

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