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 below illustrates the information of a survey that how often people buy coffee and tea and their drinking habits in five Australian cities.

The number of people going to a cafe for coffee and tea are highest in most cities,whereas instant coffee is mildly popular in each city,and fresh coffee is the least popular everywhere.

All the cities have equal amount of popularity of instant coffee having atleast 45% of population atleast and max of 50%.So a decent amount of consumers drink it regularly as it is cheaper and quicker to make and can have it through take away.Cheaper in money lesser time it takes.

Whereas the amount of people going to a cafe for hot beverages are the most in almost all the cities,because many people after getting free from work spend some quality time with their family and friends so they usually go to a cafe.On the other hand fresh coffee had the least customers as it is time taking and is a bit expensive than the others therefore it is not that popular enough and is least consumed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad pattern that café visits are generally the most common activity and fresh-coffee purchases are often lower, which gives the response a relevant overview. However, the overview is not fully accurate: fresh coffee is not the least popular in every city, since in Sydney its figure is slightly below instant coffee but in other cities the café category is higher, while fresh coffee is not consistently the lowest relative to all categories. More importantly, the claim that instant coffee is between 45% and 50% is incorrect for Brisbane and Hobart, where it is about 53% and 55%. The response also gives no city-by-city figures or meaningful comparisons, and the explanations about price, convenience and family outings are speculative rather than chart-based. Select key data and report it accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, a general summary, and separate discussion of instant coffee and café visits. This makes the main topic easy to follow. However, the progression is limited because the paragraphs do not systematically compare the five cities or organise the three categories in a clear data-led sequence. Linking phrases such as “Whereas” and “On the other hand” signal contrast, but the relationships are sometimes unclear, and the second paragraph repeats the idea that café visits are most common. The long paragraph about café habits also combines chart description with unsupported explanations. A clearer overview followed by two paragraphs comparing categories across cities would make the organisation more coherent and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “population,” “consumers,” “popular,” and “least consumed,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “information of a survey that how often,” “equal amount of popularity,” and “the most in almost all the cities.” Repetition of “popular” and “people” also limits flexibility. Some wording introduces meanings not shown by the chart: “drink it regularly” and “cheaper and quicker” are not established by the survey results. Aim for precise reporting language such as “the proportion of residents,” “recorded the highest figure,” and “purchased instant coffee,” and avoid adding assumptions about reasons for the results.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentences using contrast and cause, for example, “Whereas the amount of people going to a cafe…,” but control is inconsistent and the range of sentence structures remains limited. Errors include subject–verb agreement in “The number of people… are highest,” an awkward clause in “a survey that how often,” and missing or incorrect articles and plurals in “equal amount of popularity” and “a cafe.” Punctuation is also unreliable: there is no space after the comma in “cities,whereas,” and the fragment “Cheaper in money lesser time it takes” is not a complete sentence. These problems sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then combine them with controlled complex clauses.

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