Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-16

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 illustrate the results of a survey about individuals coffe and tea buying and drinking habits in five different cities of Australia.

Overall, the people who went to the coffee shop for either coffee or tea experienced popularity in all the cities of Australia except Adelaide where large number of people bought instant coffee in last four weeks. In contrast fresh coffee was the least popular drink in all the five cities of Australia.

Initially, 60% of people went to the cafe who bought coffee our tea in sydney 64%in melbourne 56%in brisbane 49%in adelaine and 63%in hobart.In addition, instant coffee was the second popular drink in all the cities of Australia except adelaide where it was the most popular drink.44%of people bought instant coofee in sydney in last 4 weeks 48%in melbourne 53%in brisbane 50%in adelaine where it was the most popular drink and 54%in Hobart.

Furthermore, fresh coffee was the least popular drink in all the five cities of australia. 44%of sydney residents bought fresh coffee in last four weeks 43% in melbourne 34%in brisbane 34.5%in adelaide and 38%in hobart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that café visits were generally the most common activity and fresh coffee purchases the least common, and you include figures for all five cities. The overview also notes Adelaide as an exception, where instant coffee slightly exceeded café visits. However, some reported figures are inaccurate: for example, café visits in Sydney and Melbourne are given as 60% and 64%, rather than approximately 61% and 63.5%; instant coffee in Sydney is stated as 44%, rather than about 45.5%. These errors weaken the precision of the comparisons. The claim that fresh coffee was the least popular “drink” is also imprecise, since the chart records buying behaviour. To strengthen the response, check figures carefully and describe the survey categories accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting the café, instant-coffee and fresh-coffee results. Sequencing expressions such as “Overall,” “Initially,” and “Furthermore” help signal the stages of the report. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and the long lists of city figures make comparisons harder to follow. The sentence beginning “In addition” also combines a general ranking with a sequence of numbers without clearly separating the comparison. Use more direct links between related data—for example, contrast the higher café figures in Hobart and Melbourne with Adelaide’s lower result—and punctuate lists consistently. This would make the organisation more fluent while retaining the useful paragraph structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “survey,” “residents,” “popular,” and “bought,” so the topic remains understandable. There is also some attempt to vary phrasing, such as “went to the cafe” and “bought fresh coffee.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “experienced popularity” does not clearly describe the figures, and “second popular drink” is not idiomatic. The chart concerns activities and purchases, so calling fresh coffee the least popular “drink” can also misrepresent what is measured. Spelling errors such as “coofee,” “coffe,” and “adelaine” further reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting phrases and check spelling of key terms and city names.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex structures, including the overview sentence with “except Adelaide where…” and the contrast introduced by “In contrast.” The main meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. The opening should use “The chart illustrates,” with subject–verb agreement, and “individuals’” needs a possessive form. In “60% of people went to the cafe who bought coffee our tea,” the relative clause is misplaced and the sentence structure is unclear. Several figures run together without spaces or punctuation, making the reporting difficult to read. Practise accurate sentence patterns for describing percentages, and use full stops or commas to separate each city’s result. More controlled complex sentences would improve clarity.

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