Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The chart illustrates the habits of people from five cities in Australia regarding coffee and tea purchases in the last 4 weeks.

Overall, the percentage of people that went to a cafe for coffee or tea was higher in four of the five cities. On the other hand, those who bought fresh coffee share the smallest percentage of all five cities.

Regarding people who went to a cafe, Melbourne had the highest amount in the chart, around 64%, followed by Hobart with 63% and Sydney with around 61%. In comparison, just over 55% of Brisbane residents went to a cafe, while Adelaide residents represented around 49%.

In terms of instant coffee bought, Adelaide was the only city that presented the highest percentage when compared with the other four cities, where 50% of people bought it. However, the percentage of instant coffee bought in Brisbane and Hobart were higher than Adelaide, with 53% and 49% respectivelly.

Finally, fresh coffee shared the smallest proportion in all cities. In Brisbane and Adelaide only 34% bought fresh coffee, while in Sydney that number was higher, 44%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that café visits were more popular than fresh-coffee purchases, and you report several relevant city comparisons. However, the overview is not fully accurate: café attendance was higher than both purchase categories in four cities, but in Adelaide instant coffee (50%) was marginally above café visits (about 49.5%). The instant-coffee paragraph also contains a contradiction: it says Adelaide had the highest figure, then gives Brisbane and Hobart as higher; in fact, Hobart was highest at about 54.5%, followed by Brisbane at 53%. Some key comparisons are therefore unclear or misreported, and the overview does not clearly summarise the leading and lowest categories across the chart. Select the main highs and lows accurately, then support them with consistent figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for café visits, instant coffee, and fresh coffee. Sequencing phrases such as “Regarding,” “In terms of,” and “Finally” help the reader follow the categories. This coherent organisation is a strength. However, the instant-coffee paragraph’s claim that Adelaide had the highest percentage conflicts with the following comparison, making the progression difficult to follow. The overview also uses “On the other hand” to contrast fresh coffee with café visits, although the relationship would be clearer if expressed as a direct summary of the highest and lowest categories. Make each paragraph’s central comparison explicit and ensure that linking phrases reflect the actual relationship between the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “represented,” and “compared with,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some variation in how you describe the chart rather than relying on a single repeated verb. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for statistical reporting: “highest amount” is better expressed as “highest proportion,” and “fresh coffee shared the smallest proportion” is not a natural collocation. “Presented the highest percentage” also obscures the comparison, particularly because the data claim is inaccurate. There is a spelling error in “respectivelly.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations, and check spelling so that the vocabulary supports rather than distracts from the comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “people that went to a cafe” and a contrast structure beginning “while Adelaide residents…”. Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely obstruct the message. Some grammatical control is still uneven. For example, “the percentage of instant coffee bought … were higher” has a singular subject (“percentage”) and should take “was”; “those who bought fresh coffee share the smallest percentage” also has an awkward subject–verb construction. In “In Brisbane and Adelaide only 34% bought fresh coffee,” adding “of residents” would make the sentence structure clearer. Continue using varied structures, while checking agreement and making sure each sentence has a clear grammatical subject.

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