Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-27

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 illustrates the data collected from the population in five different Australian cities regarding their coffee and tea drinking habits.

As per the diagram, Syndey was the place with most people brought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks, at 44%. A reverse trend was notable in Melbourne with 42%. A similar pattern was followed in both Brisbane and Adelaide with below 35%. However, it was seen the percentage of people bought fresh coffee was slighly increased in Hobart.

Regarding the percentage of people bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks, Hobart accounts for the largest proportion, at 54%. In sharp contrast, Sydney makes up the lowest share with just below a half. Brisbane ranked second with nearly half peercentage followed by Adelaide and Melbourne.

It was seen that the majority of people in most cities went to a cafe for coffee or tea in last 4 weeks except Adelaide. Melbourne was the city with large number of people visted cafe which is 64%. Despite 50% of people went to cafe in Adelaide.

To sum up, the majority of people in most cities except Aldelaide went to a cafe for coffee or tea.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover all three measures and identify several useful comparisons, including Sydney’s relatively high fresh-coffee figure, Hobart’s leading instant-coffee share, and café visits being highest in Melbourne and Hobart. Most figures are broadly consistent with the chart. However, the overview is repetitive and focuses mainly on café visits rather than summarising the overall pattern across all three categories. Some details are unclear or inaccurate: Sydney, not Melbourne, has the lowest instant-coffee figure, while Brisbane is not second; it is below Adelaide and Melbourne. The fresh-coffee comparison also needs clearer reporting, since Sydney is highest and Brisbane and Adelaide are joint lowest. A more complete overview and precise ranking of the cities would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the three measures, and a concluding sentence. This makes the information generally easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “In sharp contrast” and “Regarding” help signal comparisons and topic changes. However, the final “To sum up” repeats the café point already made rather than drawing together the main trends, and some transitions do not clearly connect the comparisons—for example, “A reverse trend was notable in Melbourne” is difficult to interpret. Organise the body around the main patterns and use the conclusion to summarise the overall picture, rather than repeating one detail. Clearer references between sentences would also improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of chart-reporting vocabulary, including “accounts for the largest proportion,” “In sharp contrast,” and “ranked second.” These choices show an attempt to vary language rather than rely only on basic terms. However, several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision, such as “the place with most people brought fresh coffee,” “makes up the lowest share,” and “large number of people visited cafe.” Spelling errors, including “Syndey,” “slighly,” “peercentage,” and “Aldelaide,” are also noticeable. Use standard phrases such as “the proportion of residents who bought” and check spelling carefully. More accurate, natural collocations would make the comparisons clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the response is usually understandable. The opening sentence is a clear example of a well-formed overview of the subject. However, some errors in verb forms and sentence construction recur: “people brought fresh coffee” should be “people who bought fresh coffee,” and “the percentage of people bought instant coffee” needs a relative clause or a different structure. The sentence “Despite 50% of people went to cafe in Adelaide” is incomplete because “despite” requires a noun phrase or gerund, not a full clause in this form. Articles and agreement also need attention in phrases such as “visited cafe.” Review clause structure and use consistent past-tense reporting forms to improve accuracy.

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