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 chart illustrates the results of a survey about peoples drinking habits and purchasing coffee and tea in five different Australian cities by comparing the percentage of residents.

Overall, it is clear that the most popular location was cafe where residents purchased coffee or tea and the least bought item was fresh coffee in last 4 weeks.

First of all, significant number of residents went to cafe in Sydney with 60% customers,slighty higher in Melbourne but showed little fluctuations in Brisbane and Adelaide with figures of 55% and 48%.In Hobart same ratio as compare to Melbourne.In contrast, instant coffee was at second number with 45% in sydney and showed some rise to 58% in Hobart which was almost same in Brisbane.On the other hand, the least sold item was fresh coffee with 48% in sydney and showed a decline in Brisbane and Adelaide with 37% residents byers

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give an overview, noting that café visits are generally the most popular activity and fresh coffee is often the least popular. However, the overview is too broad: fresh coffee is not the lowest in every city, and café visits are not the highest in Adelaide, where instant coffee is slightly higher. Several figures are also inaccurate: fresh coffee in Sydney is about 44%, not 48%, and instant coffee in Hobart is about 55%, not 58%. The response gives limited coverage of the five-city comparisons and omits some useful contrasts. It is also three words below the required minimum. To improve, report the main patterns accurately and support them with a few well-chosen comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the chart details. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “First of all,” and “In contrast” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, the progression within the detail paragraph is difficult to follow because café visits, instant coffee, and fresh coffee are combined in one long sequence, with some comparisons left unclear—for example, “In Hobart same ratio as compare to Melbourne.” Several transitions do not clearly express the relationship between the figures. Use separate, logically grouped comparisons and make each sentence’s subject explicit. This would create clearer progression and reduce the impression of a list of disconnected observations.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “residents,” “figures,” “decline,” and “popular,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “least bought item,” “at second number,” and “same ratio as compare to Melbourne.” Spelling and spacing problems, including “slighty” and “sydney,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural expressions for describing survey data, such as “the lowest proportion,” “ranked second,” and “a similar figure.” Avoid calling café visitors “customers” when the chart reports residents who went to a café; this distinction will make your descriptions more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “In contrast” and a sentence describing changes across cities. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentences are incomplete or difficult to parse. For example, “In Hobart same ratio as compare to Melbourne” lacks a clear verb and has faulty sentence structure, while “showed little fluctuations” has a number-agreement problem. Articles and punctuation are also unreliable, as in “went to cafe” and the run-on spacing in “customers,slighty.” These errors sometimes make the comparisons unclear. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement, and punctuation before finishing.

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