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 bar chart compares the Australians buying and drinking coffee and tea in five distinct cities.

Overall, more than 60 percents individuals of Melbourne,Sydney, and Hobart went to cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks, however; Adelaide is the only city in which the percentage of people bought instant coffee is more than individuals went to cafe for tea or coffee over a month.

Under 65% residents of Melbourne, Sydney, and Hobart preffered coffee or tea in cafes in 4 weeks. Roughly 45% of city residents in Sydney bought fresh and instant coffee in 4 weeks.In Melbourne around 48 percent people bought instant coffee and 42 percent of cities resident bought fresh coffee. THe least percentage of fresh coffee is bought in Brisbane and Adelaide which 34%. Around 50 percent of residents are hovering around of Brisbane bought instant coffee or went to cafe. 50 % residents of Adelaide who bought instant coffee or went to cafe remain unchanged for 4 weeks. Almost 55 percent residents of Hobart bought instant coffee whereas38% of Hobart's resident bought fresh coffee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s main pattern: café visits are highest in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart, while instant coffee purchases exceed café visits in Adelaide. You also include relevant comparisons, such as fresh coffee being lowest in Brisbane and Adelaide and Hobart’s relatively high instant-coffee figure. However, some details are unclear or imprecise. “Under 65%” does not accurately summarise the café figures, since they range from about 61% to 63.5%, and the statement that Brisbane residents were “hovering around” 50% for instant coffee or café visits blurs two distinct values. The overview would be stronger if it clearly stated that café-going leads in four cities and instant coffee is the most popular category in Adelaide, with key comparisons reported more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and a paragraph of supporting figures. The overview also gives the reader a useful starting point by highlighting café visits and Adelaide’s different pattern. However, the body does not develop comparisons in a consistently clear order: it moves from Sydney to Melbourne, then Brisbane and Adelaide, and finally Hobart, while some sentences combine separate categories in a confusing way. For example, “Around 50 percent of residents are hovering around of Brisbane bought instant coffee or went to cafe” is difficult to follow, and “remain unchanged” does not clearly connect the Adelaide figures. Use a consistent city-by-city or category-by-category sequence, and make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “residents,” “bought fresh coffee,” and “went to cafe,” so the main subject is generally understandable. There is some variation in how you describe the figures, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward. “Preferred” suggests a preference that the chart does not measure, while “hovering around” and “remain unchanged” do not suit these static survey results. Spelling errors such as “preffered” and inconsistent forms such as “percents” also reduce precision. Aim for neutral reporting language such as “the proportion who visited a café” and “accounted for approximately,” and check spelling and natural collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex sentences, including an overview joined with “however” and comparisons using “whereas.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur across the response. For example, “the Australians buying and drinking coffee and tea” is not a well-formed description of the chart, and “the percentage of people bought instant coffee” needs a relative clause or a different structure. There are also problems with articles, plurals and punctuation, as in “went to cafe” and “50 % residents.” Some sentences run together without clear punctuation. Practise accurate patterns such as “the percentage of residents who bought…” and separate contrasting ideas with correctly punctuated clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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