Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-20

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 illustrate the percentage of residence who bought fresh coffee,bought instant coffee or go to a cafe for coffee or tea during tthe previous four weeks.

overall,visiting caffe was the most poSydney,melbourne and hobart, while buying instant coffee was common nin Adelaide and brisbane.Buying frsh coffee was the least popular among all five cities.

In,sydney approximately 61% of people went to a cafe for coffee or tea,making this the most popular activity.Around 46% of residents buy instant coffee compard to 44% who purchased fresh coffee. A similar pattern can be seen in Melbourne where 64% of residents went to a cafe for coffee or tea.Around 48% of residents buy instant coffee and about 42% of residents bought fresh coffee.

In,Brisbane the porpotion of people buying instant coffee was about 53% following to visit the cafe was about 56% and about 345 of people bought fresh coffee.In,Adelaide buying instant coffee was also quite popular about 50% ,whereas 49% went to a caf and 35% bought fresh coffee.

Finally, Hobart recorded about 54% for instant coffeeand around 63% for cafe visits.Fresh coffee was bought by approximately 38% of residents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three activities across the five cities and provide a useful overview: café visits lead in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, while instant coffee is highest in Brisbane and Adelaide; fresh coffee is generally the least popular. Most figures are close to the chart, including the café percentages and the fresh-coffee figures. However, the overview is not fully precise: fresh coffee is not the least popular in every city, since in Sydney instant coffee is slightly higher, and in Adelaide café visits are marginally lower than fresh coffee. The Brisbane figure “345” is also unclear and should be written as approximately 35%. To strengthen the response, make the overview more exact and ensure every reported figure is clearly expressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by city-based paragraphs, with “Finally” marking the last city. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, the city-by-city sequence gives the report a somewhat mechanical feel, and several transitions are awkward or incomplete, such as “following to visit the cafe” in the Brisbane section. Punctuation and spacing problems also interrupt the flow, for example “In,sydney” and “coffeeand.” Grouping cities with similar patterns, or using clearer linking phrases to compare them, would create stronger progression. Keep the overview distinct and use consistent paragraphing and punctuation to make relationships between figures easier to see.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing survey data, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “recorded,” “popular,” and “approximately.” These choices allow you to communicate the main comparisons, but the range and control are uneven. Several spelling errors—such as “residence,” “caffe,” “frsh,” and “porpotion”—make the writing look less accurate, while phrases such as “buying instant coffee was common” and “went to a cafe” are repeated. Some expressions are also unnatural, notably “the most popular activity” when referring to a measured share. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise reporting language, such as “accounted for” or “the highest proportion,” while avoiding unnecessary repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparative sentences, for example, “A similar pattern can be seen in Melbourne where…” This shows some variety, and the main meaning is usually recoverable. However, there are recurring errors in sentence formation and control. The opening “The bar chart illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, and “people buying instant coffee was about 53% following to visit the cafe was about 56%” joins ideas without a correct grammatical link. Tense is also inconsistent: “residents buy” appears alongside past-tense reporting such as “went” and “bought.” Capitalisation and punctuation are unreliable, including lowercase city names and commas placed after “In.” Use consistent past tense, check agreement, and separate or correctly connect clauses.

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