Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 given chart depict the information about habits of people buying coffee, tea and drinking in five Australian cities.

In general, it can be clearly seen that Melbourne and Hobart has similar percentage of city residents, while Adelaide has the lowest percentage of city residents.

Looking at the chart in more detail, people of Melbourne went to cafe for coffee or tea by 60% and bought fresh coffee and instant coffee by 43% and 49%. Hobart are similar with Melbourne. However, it experienced a slight incline in instant coffee by 59%. Adlelaide and Brisbane are similar in fresh coffee by 34% and Brisane experienced increase in both by 53% and 55%.

Moving to the next, Sydney has the same percentage of city residents for fresh coffee and instant coffee by 45% and about 60% people went to a cafe for coffee or tea. It can be observed that only people of Adelaide went to a cafe in the lowest percentage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify relevant features, including Adelaide’s low café figure and the generally higher café attendance in Melbourne and Hobart, and you attempt comparisons across cities. However, the overview is unclear: saying Melbourne and Hobart have “similar percentage” does not specify which measure, and Adelaide is not lowest for every category. Several figures and comparisons are inaccurate: Hobart’s instant-coffee figure is about 55%, not 59%; Melbourne’s café figure is about 64%, rather than 60%; and Sydney’s fresh and instant figures are not the same. The statement that Brisbane “experienced increase in both” is also unclear and does not describe a comparison shown by the chart. Select the main highs and lows accurately, then support them with precise comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about several cities, and phrases such as “Looking at the chart in more detail” and “Moving to the next” signal transitions. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second body paragraph jumps from Adelaide and Brisbane to Sydney, while the first groups cities without explaining the basis for comparison. Some linking is mechanical, and “Hobart are similar with Melbourne” leaves the reader unsure which figures are being compared. Organise the details by a clear pattern—for example, café visits first, followed by fresh and instant coffee purchases—and use references that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “fresh coffee,” “instant coffee,” and “lowest,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are imprecise, such as “experienced a slight incline” for a higher percentage and “same percentage of city residents” when the figures are only close. Repetition of “percentage” and “coffee” also makes the description less flexible. There are spelling errors in “Adlelaide” and “Brisane,” and “went to cafe” needs a more natural expression. Aim for accurate chart language such as “accounted for,” “recorded,” and “was higher than,” while checking city names and common collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a few different sentence forms, including the overview beginning “In general” and the contrast introduced by “However,” but most sentences rely on simple patterns, and errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “the chart depict” and “Melbourne and Hobart has”; “Hobart are similar” has the same problem. Articles and sentence construction also need attention in “went to cafe” and “by 43% and 49%,” where the relationship between the action and figures is not expressed clearly. These errors do not make the whole response impossible to follow, but they sometimes obscure comparisons. Practise accurate reporting frames such as “The proportion of residents who visited a café was…” and check agreement and articles in each sentence.

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