Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-19

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 4.5)

The bar chart illustrates the results of a survey on the tea and coffee purchasing and drinking habits of residents in five different australian cities namely, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart, over the recent four weeks.

Overall, visiting a cafe for drinking coffee and tea is the most popular activity in four cities, while buying fresh coffee is least popular. Melborne recorded the highest proportion of cafe visitors. Whereas inverse could be seen in the Adelaide.

In Sydney,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a brief overview, noting that café visits are generally popular and that fresh coffee is often the least popular option. However, the response is far too incomplete to report the main features: it stops after “In Sydney,” and gives no city-by-city comparisons or supporting figures. The overview also needs greater accuracy: café visits are highest in Melbourne, but Hobart is almost equal; fresh coffee is not the least popular activity in Adelaide, where café visits are slightly lower. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, which contributes to the limited coverage. To improve, complete the report with key comparisons across all five cities and accurate figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic structure: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview, and “Overall” signals a summary of the main pattern. These choices give the reader some orientation. However, the response ends with the unfinished fragment “In Sydney,” so there is no developed body paragraph or progression through the data. The sentence beginning “Whereas inverse…” is also disconnected from the preceding overview rather than forming a complete comparison. Use a clear sequence, such as an overview followed by two body paragraphs grouping cities or comparing the three activities. Connect each comparison explicitly and ensure every sentence is complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “survey,” “proportion,” “recorded,” and “popular,” and it paraphrases the chart’s subject rather than simply repeating its title. However, the range is limited by the short response, and some choices are inaccurate or awkward: “for drinking coffee and tea” is less natural than “to drink coffee or tea,” while “inverse could be seen” does not clearly express the intended contrast. “Melborne” is also misspelled, and “australian” should be capitalised. Aim for precise chart language such as “the proportion of residents who visited cafés” and “by contrast,” and use a wider range of verbs to describe rises, rankings, and differences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both a complex opening sentence and an overview, and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, the range of structures is limited, and several sentences are incomplete or awkwardly formed. “Whereas inverse could be seen in the Adelaide” is not a complete, well-controlled comparison, and “In Sydney,” is only a fragment. The opening also needs clearer punctuation around the list of cities. Practise writing complete comparison sentences with a subject and verb, for example, “Adelaide showed the opposite pattern, with café visits slightly below instant-coffee purchases.” Vary simple and complex sentence forms, then check that each sentence is grammatically complete.

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