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 given bar chart illustrates and compares the results of peoples's coffe and tea buying or drinking habits survey in five Australian cities.

Overall , it is evident that ratio of residents who went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks is high as compare to other two categories where percentage of residents who brought instant coffee and who brought fresh coffee in five cities in Australia.

In the terms of Sydeney , Melbourn and Hobart cities residents ratio , who went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks is more than 60 % and the percentage of residents who bought instant coffee is higer than 45 %.Similarly, the proportion of residents who bought fresh coffee is greater than 38 % in these three cities.

In contrast, Brisbane and Adelaide cities ratio of residents who went to a cafe for coffee or tea

in last 4 weeks is more than 48% and the proportion of residents who bought instant coffee is higher than 50 % which is highest as compare to other two categories in these two cities while , percentage of residents who bought fresh coffee is less than 35 % .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall pattern: café visits are generally the most popular activity, while fresh coffee purchases are lower, particularly in Brisbane and Adelaide. Your city grouping also helps compare the stronger café figures in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart with the other two cities. However, some comparisons are imprecise or misleading. For example, café attendance in Adelaide is about 49.5%, so saying it is “more than 48%” is technically true but not very informative; Brisbane is about 55.5%. The claim that instant coffee is the highest category in Brisbane and Adelaide is inaccurate, since café visits are higher in Brisbane and almost equal in Adelaide. Include clearer key figures and distinguish these city-specific patterns to make the main features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then comparing two groups of cities. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the body is limited: the final paragraph combines several comparisons in one long sentence, and the repeated pattern of “the percentage/proportion of residents who…” makes the account feel mechanical. Linking phrases such as “Overall” and “In contrast” are useful, but the contrast is not fully accurate because café attendance remains high in Brisbane and is close to instant-coffee purchasing in Adelaide. Use separate, clearly focused sentences and connect each comparison to the relevant city and category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-appropriate vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “proportion,” “percentage,” and “in contrast,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, word choice and spelling are inconsistent: “brought” is used where “bought” is needed, and “higer,” “coffe,” “Sydeney,” and “Melbourn” contain noticeable spelling errors. Phrases such as “residents ratio” and “as compare to” are also unnatural, while “in the terms of” is not an appropriate collocation here. Aim for precise, natural expressions such as “the proportion of residents” and “compared with.” This would make the vocabulary more accurate and reduce distraction without requiring unnecessarily complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “In contrast” and clauses describing residents’ habits. The main meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “Overall, it is evident that ratio of residents…” needs an article (“the proportion”), and “is high as compare to” has an incorrect comparative construction. In “the percentage of residents who bought instant coffee is higher than 45%,” the comparison is incomplete unless the reference point is stated. Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, particularly around commas and sentence boundaries. Build clearer sentences with accurate articles and comparison structures, then check punctuation and agreement.

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