Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-22

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 given bar graph depicts the information about the results of a survey about people's coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities. The five cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart.

Overall, mostly people prefered to went to a cafe for a coffee or tea in last 4 weeks in every cities, whereas bought a fresh coffee in last 4 weeks is least prefered by people in each cities. Bought instant coffee in last 4 week is commonly prefered by all cities.

Moreover, went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks was high in Hobart and Melbourne which was almost same around 63%-64% and was least in Adelaide which was almost same as bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks percentage of city residents. Bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks was high in Sydney around 43% of city residents and was least in Brisbane and Adelaide which was almost same around 34%.=

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give an overview of the main pattern: café visits are highest in most cities, while fresh coffee purchases are generally lower. Several comparisons are also accurate, including the high café figures in Hobart and Melbourne and the low fresh-coffee figures in Brisbane and Adelaide. However, the overview overgeneralises: fresh coffee is not the least popular category in every city, since in Adelaide café visits (about 49.5%) are slightly below instant coffee (about 50%). The report also omits useful comparisons, such as instant coffee being the most common category in Brisbane and Hobart, and gives little detail across all three measures. A more precise overview and fuller selection of key data would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to further comparisons. This helps the reader identify the topic and the broad trends. However, the final paragraph combines several comparisons in a long sentence, making relationships between the figures less clear. Linking phrases such as “Moreover” do not always signal a distinct development, and the repeated wording “in last 4 weeks” makes the progression feel mechanical. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, café attendance first, followed by the two purchasing categories—and use concise references such as “this figure” where the meaning is unmistakable. This would create a more consistent progression and improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “percentage of city residents,” “around,” and “least,” so the reader can understand the comparisons being attempted. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, especially “in last 4 weeks” and “prefered.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing survey results: “people prefered to went” and “commonly prefered” suggest preference rather than reported behaviour. Spelling also needs attention, as in “prefered” and “cafe.” Choose precise reporting verbs and vary language for proportions and rankings. More accurate collocations would make the description clearer and more appropriate to an academic chart report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and longer comparative sentences, but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in basic verb forms and agreement, as in “people prefered to went,” “in every cities,” and “bought a fresh coffee … is least prefered.” The sentence beginning “Moreover” also shifts awkwardly between past and present forms (“was high” and “was least”) and contains unclear clause structure. Articles and plural forms are also unreliable. These errors sometimes make the intended comparison harder to follow, although the overall meaning remains recoverable. Practise building accurate comparison patterns, such as “The proportion who visited cafés was highest in…” and check subject–verb agreement and tense consistency before finishing.

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