Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-13

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 4.0)

The bar chart demonstrates a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

Overall the count of people in highest bracket (who went to cafe for coffee or tea) and the second lowest were ( who bought Instant coffee) accounted for the largest proportion during the given period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The opening identifies the chart’s subject, and the overview attempts to highlight the café category and instant coffee. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: café visits were the largest category in every city, but instant coffee was not consistently the second-largest, since fresh coffee exceeded it in Sydney. No city-by-city figures or meaningful comparisons are reported, so the main features are not adequately summarised. The response also contains only 43 words, falling 107 words short of the 150-word minimum; the 11 words copied from the task prompt are excluded from that count. To improve, provide a clear overview and support it with selected comparisons across the five cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic sequence: a sentence introduces the chart, followed by an attempted overall statement. This gives the response a minimal structure, but it is too brief to show a clear progression through the information or to group and compare the data. The phrase “Overall” signals a summary, yet the following sentence is difficult to follow because it combines two categories without explaining their relationship. Develop separate paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, and use clear links such as “whereas” or “by contrast” to show how the city figures relate. This would make the organisation more coherent and the connections between ideas easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “survey,” “proportion,” and “instant coffee,” so the subject is recognisable. However, the range is very limited, and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural: “the count of people in highest bracket” does not clearly describe a percentage, while “the second lowest” is ambiguous and does not identify a category accurately. “Went to cafe” is also less suitable than a precise description of café attendance. Use the chart’s category labels and comparison language, such as “the proportion who visited a café” and “a higher share than.” More varied, accurate wording would help convey the data clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a simple introductory sentence and a more complex sentence beginning with “Overall,” showing an attempt to vary sentence structure. However, the second sentence is difficult to parse: “the count of people in highest bracket … and the second lowest were … accounted for” has an unclear subject and an awkward verb construction. Articles are also missing in “in highest bracket” and “went to cafe,” and the parenthetical spacing and punctuation are inconsistent. These issues make the summary less clear, although the basic meaning can still be inferred. Aim for shorter, complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check articles and punctuation when revising.

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

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