Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The bar chart depicts the results of a survey conducted among the people of five different Australian cities regarding the coffee and tea buying and drinking habits of people in past 4 weeks.

To begin with Sydney which was the city with greatest proportion of people who bought fresh coffee(43%). On the other hand, more than 60% of people went to a cafe for coffee or tea. the percentage of people bought instant coffeewas moderate (46%). A similar pattern was evident in Melboune city. However, proportion of people in categories except those who bought instant coffee slighly reduced in Brisbane with least share in those who had fresh coffee. In spite, the second category remarkably rose to 53%. In Adelaide, the percentage of first category remained constant. Despite the other two significantly reduced. It was seen that the percentage of those who went to cafe 1% less than those who purchased instant coffee. On the contrary, all three categories considerably developed in Hobart with majority of people went to cafe.

To sum up, Melbourne and Hobart were the cities with greatest share of people went to cafe. Whereas, those who bought instant coffee was highest in Horbart and fresh coffee was Sydney.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three survey categories and make relevant comparisons across the cities, including Sydney’s high café attendance and Hobart’s high instant-coffee figure. However, the overview is not fully accurate: Melbourne and Hobart had the highest café proportions, but Sydney’s fresh-coffee figure was only slightly above Melbourne’s, while Brisbane and Adelaide shared the lowest level. The claim that all three categories “considerably developed” in Hobart is also misleading, since fresh coffee there was below Sydney and Melbourne. Some city-by-city details are vague or incomplete, particularly the description of Melbourne. A clearer overview of the main contrasts, followed by accurate comparisons supported by selected figures, would make the response more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a sequence of city comparisons, and a concluding summary. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, the main body moves rapidly from one city to another, and the comparisons are not consistently organised around the three categories. Phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” “In spite,” and “On the contrary” are sometimes used mechanically or do not clearly express the relationship between the data. The conclusion also repeats some points without resolving the earlier imprecision. Grouping cities by a meaningful pattern—for example, café attendance or fresh-coffee purchases—and using clearer links between comparisons would create stronger progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing survey data, including “proportion,” “percentage,” “share,” “category,” and “majority.” These choices show an attempt to avoid repeating the same basic terms. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “categories … reduced,” “the second category … rose,” and “all three categories considerably developed.” “Greatest share” is also repeated, and spelling errors such as “Melboune,” “coffeewas,” and “Horbart” reduce accuracy. Aim for precise data-reporting language, such as saying that a percentage was higher or lower, or that a category recorded a particular figure. More accurate collocations and careful spelling would make your vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including contrasts introduced by “However” and “Despite.” Nevertheless, errors occur frequently, and some sentence structures are incomplete or difficult to follow. For example, “To begin with Sydney which was the city…” is a fragment, while “the percentage of people bought instant coffee” is missing a grammatical link such as “who.” The sentence beginning “Despite the other two significantly reduced” is also incomplete, and “those who went to cafe 1% less than…” lacks a verb. There are further problems with articles, agreement, and punctuation, including lowercase sentence openings after full stops. Practise complete clauses and accurate comparative structures before adding more complex linking.

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