Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-15

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 6.5)

The bar chart demonstrates the results of a survey regarding people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five different cities of Australia.

Overall, it is evident that the percentage of people who go to cafes for a coffee or tea is the highest in all the cities except Adelaide. Besides this, buying fresh coffee recorded the least among all the cities.

To commence with, the percentage of people who go to cafe for a coffee or tea in the last 4 weeks remains the highest in all the cities except Adelaide. It is more than 60% in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, whereas in Brisbane and Adelaide it is just above 55% and approximately 49% respectively. However, the proportion of people buying fresh coffee remains the least. It is approximately 44%, 42% 38% in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, while in Brisbane and Adelaide it recorded nearly 34%.

Meanwhile, the percentage of people who prefer to buy instant coffee in the last 4 weeks is between buying fresh coffee and going to cafe in all the cities except Adelaide. In Hobart and Brisbane people's preference is more than 50%, followed by Adelaide with 50%. In Sydney and Melbourne it is approximately 46% and 48%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that café visits are highest in most cities and report relevant comparisons across all three categories. The overview also notes that fresh coffee is generally the least popular, which is broadly supported, although in Adelaide café visits (about 49.5%) are slightly below instant coffee (50%). Some details are accurate, such as café figures above 60% in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, and instant coffee exceeding 50% in Brisbane and Hobart. However, the claim that café visits are highest in every city except Adelaide is imprecise: in Adelaide, fresh coffee is the lowest, while café visits are still close to instant coffee. The final paragraph also gives fewer comparisons and does not clearly identify the highest and lowest figures overall. More precise overview statements and fuller comparison of key extremes would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear four-part structure: introduction, overview, café/fresh-coffee details, and instant-coffee details. This makes the information easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However,” and “Meanwhile” help signal shifts. The organisation is coherent, but progression is somewhat mechanical because the same café and fresh-coffee points are repeated in the overview and the first detail paragraph. Some references are also not fully clear: “it recorded nearly 34%” follows two categories, so the reader must infer that “it” refers to fresh coffee. Grouping comparisons more deliberately—for example, highlighting the cities with the highest and lowest results within each category—would create smoother progression and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “preference,” and “approximately,” and the meaning remains clear throughout. There is some variation in how you describe the data, rather than relying only on “people” and “percentage.” However, several phrases are imprecise or less natural for chart reporting: “buying fresh coffee recorded the least” and “people who prefer to buy instant coffee” suggest a preference or ranking that the chart does not directly measure; it reports purchases in the previous four weeks. “Go to cafe” also needs a more natural collocation and article. Aim for precise reporting verbs such as “accounted for” or “stood at,” and use consistent category labels. This would make the vocabulary more flexible and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “whereas” and “while,” and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons. Some grammatical slips remain, but they rarely obstruct understanding. For example, “go to cafe” is missing an article, and “42% 38%” needs punctuation between the figures. In “in Brisbane and Adelaide it recorded nearly 34%,” the pronoun reference is unclear, while “buying fresh coffee recorded the least” also creates an awkward grammatical relationship between the activity and the result. Check articles, punctuation in lists, and clear subject–verb references. More consistently controlled complex sentences would help demonstrate a wider and more accurate range.

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