Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The chart highlights the percentage of the residents across coffee and tea buying and drinking habits among five different cities of Australia.

If we talk about Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart percentages almost remains the same after a growing percentage in Hobart at more than three - fifths.

Brisbane also potraying a slighlty less than three -fifths wheras if we talk about Adelaide the percentage is less than one - half.

Overall we can see a significat percentage increase in coffee and tea buying and drinking habits across all the five cities of Australia but Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart is depicting a continuous percentage increase among all the cities wheras Adelaide shows a slight decrease causing its percentage even lower than one - half.

Brisbane also shows a huge jump from one- quarter to more than one - half and ending up almost less than three - fifths.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response3.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response makes an attempt to describe the chart and includes some relevant comparisons, such as Adelaide being below half for café visits and Brisbane being above half. However, it does not clearly identify the three different activities or report their patterns accurately. The statements that percentages “almost remain the same” and that there is a “continuous percentage increase” are not supported: the chart compares cities, rather than showing change over time, and café attendance is highest in Melbourne and Hobart, while fresh-coffee purchases are lower in Brisbane and Adelaide. The overview is therefore unclear and several claims are misleading. The response is also three words below the required minimum. To improve, name each activity and summarise the main contrasts before selecting a few accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation: the response begins with an introduction, then discusses cities and ends with a broad summary. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the paragraphs do not consistently distinguish the three survey activities. Phrases such as “If we talk about” are repeated, and the references to “the percentage” leave it unclear which activity is being discussed. The final paragraph introduces a “jump from one-quarter” without explaining what is being measured or how that figure relates to the chart. Use a clearer sequence: give an overview of the main patterns, then compare fresh coffee, instant coffee and café visits in separate, logically linked sentences. More precise referencing would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response attempts some range through expressions such as “three-fifths,” “less than one-half” and “significant percentage increase.” These show an effort to describe proportions, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this chart. “Percentage increase” suggests change over time, although the data compare cities, and “huge jump” similarly implies a progression that is not shown. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “potraying,” “slighlty” and “significat,” which reduce clarity. Aim for precise chart vocabulary such as “proportion,” “share,” “higher than” and “the highest figure,” and use these terms to describe comparisons rather than trends. Check spelling and collocations carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts longer sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “whereas” and “causing,” but control is inconsistent and some sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “percentages almost remains the same” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart is depicting” also uses a singular verb with a plural subject. The opening phrase “the percentage of the residents across coffee and tea buying and drinking habits” is not grammatically well formed. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, particularly in the long comparisons. Practise building clear subject–verb sentences first, then add subordinate clauses. For example, state which activity is being compared and use plural agreement when listing several cities.

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

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