Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-21

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 chart illustrates the outcomes of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five different Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart.

From an overall perspective, the most people used to prefer to go to cafe to take a coffee or tea in most of all four cities is the higest ones, on the other hand bought fresh coffee is the lowest ones.

To begin with, people went more in cafe in last 4 weeks to consume a coffee or a tea in city like Sydney it has around 60% of city residents who like to go in physical cafe and other cities like Melbourne and Hobart has close to 65%, Brisbane 55%, Adelaide accounted lowest in form of going cafe which is 49%.

Furthermore, Individual who like to buy instant coffee in last 4 weeks in Sydney has accounted for almost close to 50% residents, while Melbourne has around 60% and Brisbane has close to 50% Adelaide and Hobart has 50% and 55%. City residents who like to purchase fresh coffee in last 4 weeks is lower in terms of all three categories Sydney has close to 45% population and Melbourne has 40%, on the other hand Brisbane and Adelaide has same proportion 35%, while Hobart has 40%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three survey categories and report several relevant comparisons, including the high café figures in Melbourne and Hobart and the lower fresh-coffee figures in Brisbane and Adelaide. However, the overview is unclear and contains a factual overgeneralisation: café visits are highest in four cities, not “most of all four,” and fresh coffee is not the lowest category in every city. Some figures are also misreported: Melbourne’s instant-coffee figure is about 49%, not 60%, and Sydney’s is about 46%, rather than close to 50%. The response covers the main categories, but the overview and comparisons need to be more accurate and clearly prioritised. Check each figure against the chart before drawing conclusions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the survey categories. Sequencing with “To begin with” and “Furthermore” helps the reader follow the shift from café visits to coffee purchases. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track because several cities and figures are packed into long sentences, and the overview’s comparison is hard to interpret. The final paragraph also combines instant and fresh coffee without a clear transition between them. Use one focused paragraph per comparison or category, and make the overview a concise summary of the main patterns. More precise linking and clearer sentence boundaries would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “survey,” “residents,” “proportion,” and “accounted for,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are unnatural or repetitive, including “go in physical cafe,” “consume a coffee,” and repeated uses of “has close to.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison less clear. Aim for standard chart-reporting collocations and vary the verbs used to describe figures, such as “recorded,” “stood at,” and “represented.” Also use precise terms for the categories: the chart reports people who bought coffee or visited a café, rather than whether they “like” doing so.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences with comparisons, using structures such as “while” and “on the other hand,” but these are often difficult to control. Errors in agreement and sentence construction appear in examples such as “Melbourne and Hobart has” and “people went more in cafe … it has around 60%.” Articles and prepositions are also frequently missing or misplaced, as in “go to cafe” and “in city like Sydney.” These problems sometimes make relationships between the figures unclear. Practise building accurate simple comparison sentences first, then combine them with subordinate clauses. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, especially when listing several cities.

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