Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-26

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 below shows the results of a survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.

The bar graph provides information about the result of a survey of people's drinking and coffee and tea buying habits in five Australian cities. The data was based from three different buying and drinking habits.

Overall, it can be seen that Autralian who went to cafe for a coffee or tea in the last four weeks had the highest percentage in the cities of Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney while bought fresh coffee in the last four weeks was the least in the city of Brisbane and Adelaide.

In detail, Australian who went to cafe for a coffee or tea in the last 4 weeks was the highest among the city of Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney with percentage ranges around a two-thirds of the residents. This is followed by Brisbane and Adelaide at 55% and 50%, respectively. Boughyt instant coffee in last 4 weeks was popular among the residents of Hobart nearly at a third and followed closely by Brisbane while Brisbane was exactly half of the residents and a less than that were Melbourne and Sydney of residents who bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three survey categories and give an overview that correctly notes café visits were highest in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, while fresh coffee purchases were lowest in Brisbane and Adelaide. However, the report only partially covers the chart: it gives no figures for fresh coffee and does not compare that category across the cities. Some instant-coffee details are also inaccurate or unclear. Hobart’s figure is about 55%, not nearly a third; Brisbane is about 53%, while Melbourne is about 49% and Sydney about 46%. The statement that café visits were around two-thirds is broadly suitable for the three leading cities. To make the account more complete, report the main figures accurately and compare all three categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details. The overview also helps signal the main pattern before the figures are discussed. However, progression within the detail paragraph is difficult to follow: it moves from café visits to instant coffee without clearly separating or systematically comparing the categories. Phrases such as “This is followed by” and “followed closely by” provide some linking, but the relationships they express are not always clear, especially in the final sentence. Use one paragraph for the overview and organise the details by category or by city, with clear comparisons and references. This would make the information easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “residents,” “survey,” and “bought instant coffee,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision. “The result of a survey” would be more natural as “the results of a survey,” while “drinking and coffee and tea buying habits” is awkwardly formed. “Autralian” and “Boughyt” are spelling errors, and “a third” is an inaccurate description of Hobart’s instant-coffee figure. Aim for precise chart language such as “accounted for,” “proportion,” and “approximately,” and check spelling and collocations carefully. Avoid repeating the same wording when a concise alternative is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a relative clause in “Australian who went to cafe…” and a comparison introduced by “while.” However, control is inconsistent, and several errors make the relationships between ideas difficult to understand. For example, “The data was based from three different buying and drinking habits” has an incorrect preposition and an unclear grammatical construction. In “habits … was the highest,” the plural subject does not agree with the verb, and “with percentage ranges around a two-thirds” is not a well-formed phrase. Articles are also often missing, as in “went to cafe.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and complete comparison structures before adding more complex clauses.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.