Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-17

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 bar chart illustrates the data collected in survey about the buying of tea and coffee by people and drinking habit in five different cities of Australia namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.

Overall, people went to cafe for coffee or tea has the highest percentage amount all five cities while Adelaide being an exception. However people bought fresh coffee in each city remains consistently low.

Almost 60% of the people is sydney went to cafe to have tea of coffee for last 4 weeks while 45% bought instant coffee and fresh coffee bought by only 43%. Similar pattern can be seen in Melbourne and Hobart, in Melbourne, fresh coffee bought by 42% and 48% bought instant coffee while approximately 63% people went to cafe. In Hobart, 62% people went to cafe, instant coffee bought by 54% and 38% bought fresh coffee.

Considering Brisbane, 34% bought fresh coffee, 53% bought instant coffee and 55% went to cafe. In Adelaide, 34% bought fresh coffee, 50% bought instant coffee and Brisbane is only city where people who bought instant coffee is more than the people went to cafe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three activities and cover all five cities, with several figures that broadly match the chart, such as instant coffee at 53% in Brisbane and café visits at about 63% in Melbourne and Hobart. The overview also recognises that café visits are generally high and fresh-coffee purchases relatively low. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Adelaide is not the exception to café visits being the leading activity, since instant coffee (50%) is slightly higher than café visits (about 49.5%) there. The final comparison also incorrectly says Brisbane is the only city where instant coffee exceeds café visits; this applies to Adelaide. Make the overview precise and compare the leading and lowest activities across all cities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and city-specific details. Grouping Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart before discussing Brisbane and Adelaide gives the reader a basic route through the data. However, progression is weakened by the inaccurate final comparison and by abrupt transitions between city groups. Some links are also unclear, particularly “while Adelaide being an exception,” which does not explain the exception, and “Considering Brisbane,” which introduces a new city without connecting it to the preceding comparison. Use clearer grouping based on shared patterns, and ensure each comparison follows logically from the figures. More precise referencing would also help readers distinguish the cities and activities without rereading.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “survey,” “percentage,” “bought instant coffee,” and “went to cafe,” so the subject is generally clear. There is some variation in how you describe the activities, but several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “highest percentage amount,” “buying of tea and coffee,” and “fresh coffee bought by only 43%.” The repeated use of “bought” and “people” also limits flexibility. Choose natural collocations for describing survey results, such as “the proportion of residents who purchased…” or “the share who visited a café.” Check spelling and capitalisation of place names and “café,” and use “coffee or tea” consistently rather than accidentally changing it to “tea of coffee.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the overview contrast beginning “while” and the comparison introduced by “Similar pattern can be seen.” However, errors are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “people went to cafe … has the highest percentage,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “45% bought instant coffee and fresh coffee bought by only 43%,” which lacks a clear parallel structure. Other problems include missing articles in “in survey” and “went to cafe,” and “Almost 60% of the people is sydney,” which has errors in agreement and sentence construction. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete parallel clauses before adding more complex structures.

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