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 chart demonstrates the coffee and tea consumption of the last 4 weeks in 5 major cities in Australia. There are three parameters given, the first one is Bought fresh coffee, second is bought instant coffee and last one is about people visited cafe to have coffee or tea.

Majorly went to a cafe to have coffee or tea has a large number of people among all the cities while bought fresh coffee is at the least number of people. In sydney 61% people went to a cafe for coffee or tea. Melbourne has the highest number with 64%. While in Brisbane the percentage shows 56%. In Adelaide and Hobart the number shows 54% and 63% respectiverly.

Bought Instant coffee is the middle category with the percentage of 46% in Sydney. 47% in Melbourne and 53%, 50%, 54% in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart respectively.

While bought fresh coffee is on least among all three categories. In Sydney the percentage shows 45%, in Melbourne fresh coffee bought by 48%. While in other cities including Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart, the percentage shows 53%, 50% and 54% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three survey categories and include figures for all five cities, so the response is relevant and gives the reader some coverage of the chart. However, the overview is not reliable: café visits are generally the highest category, but fresh coffee is not consistently the lowest, since instant coffee is lower in Sydney and Melbourne. Several figures are also assigned to the wrong category or city. For example, Melbourne’s café figure is about 64%, but its fresh-coffee figure is about 43%, not 48%; Brisbane’s fresh-coffee figure is about 35%, not 53%. These inaccuracies weaken the main comparisons and make the report only partially successful. Check each series separately and give a concise, accurate overview before selecting key details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, a general statement, and separate sections for instant and fresh coffee. This helps distinguish the categories, and phrases such as “In Sydney” and “In Brisbane” signal changes between cities. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the overview is followed by details that contradict it, and the final paragraph repeats the claim that fresh coffee is the least popular without establishing this accurately. Linking words such as “While” are also used to begin fragments rather than to connect complete comparisons. Group the information around clear patterns—for example, café visits versus purchases—and use consistent city-by-city comparisons to make the report easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “category,” and “bought instant coffee,” and the reader can generally understand which survey measures you mean. However, the range is limited and several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “three parameters given,” “has a large number of people,” and “the number shows.” Repetition of “percentage” and “number” also makes the account less precise. Use standard reporting language for proportions and comparisons, and distinguish clearly between residents buying coffee and those visiting cafés. More accurate collocations would make the description sound more natural and help prevent ambiguity, especially when comparing the three series.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with some attempts to vary them through clauses beginning with “While.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “Majorly went to a cafe…” lacks a clear subject, while “In sydney 61% people went…” is missing an article before “people” or a suitable structure such as “of residents.” The sentence beginning “While bought fresh coffee…” is also incomplete, and “In Melbourne fresh coffee bought by 48%” has faulty word order and an unclear passive construction. Work on complete sentences, articles, and consistent subject–verb patterns. A few well-controlled comparative sentences would demonstrate a wider range without sacrificing clarity.

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