Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-01

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 how many people buy and drink coffee and tea in five Australian cities.

Overall, people who went to cafe for tea and coffee recorded the highest figures in all cities except Adelaide. People who bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks had lowest figures than other two categories.

66% of people went to cafe for tea and coffee in Melbourne which was the highest followed by Hobart at 65%. Brisbane represented the lowest figure which was 49%. 54% of people bought instant coffee in last 4 weeks followed by Brisbane at 53%. Sydney has the lowest figures which was 46%.

44% of people bought fresh coffee in last 4 weeks in Sydney which was highest than other cities followed by Melbourne at 42%. Least number of people bought fresh coffee in Brisbane and Adelaide accounted for 33% and 34% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main categories and provide an overview, noting that café visits are generally highest and fresh-coffee purchases are generally lowest. However, the overview misses an important exception: in Adelaide, instant coffee (about 50%) slightly exceeds café visits (about 49.5%). Some figures and comparisons are also inaccurate: Melbourne café visits are about 63.5%, not 66%, and Brisbane’s café figure is about 55.5%, not 49%; the lowest café figure is Adelaide’s. The fresh-coffee figures for Brisbane and Adelaide are also reversed in your account. The response is 144 words, below the required 150, and several key comparisons are consequently underdeveloped. Include a more accurate overview and check each city’s figures before drawing comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting details. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and phrases such as “followed by” help signal comparisons. However, the progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear: the café figures are grouped with instant-coffee figures, then fresh coffee is discussed separately, without a consistent city-by-city or category-by-category pattern. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated “in last 4 weeks” phrasing. Organise the details more systematically—for example, compare café visits across all cities, then compare the two purchase categories—and use concise references to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing chart data, including “highest,” “lowest,” “followed by,” and “accounted for.” These choices make the general topic clear. However, the range is limited and some expressions are not natural or precise for this task. “People who went to cafe for tea and coffee” is an awkward way to describe the survey category, while “had lowest figures than” combines an incorrect comparison with an imprecise phrase. Repeating “people” and “figures” also makes the report less varied. Use standard chart language such as “the proportion of residents who visited a café” and “the lowest percentage,” while keeping the category labels consistent with the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your response includes both simple statements and some attempts to combine information, such as “66% of people went to cafe … in Melbourne which was the highest.” The main meaning is usually understandable, but errors in articles, agreement, and sentence construction remain noticeable. For example, “went to cafe” needs an article, and “Sydney has the lowest figures which was 46%” shifts tense and has a singular verb referring to plural “figures.” The comparison “had lowest figures than” is also grammatically faulty. Try using accurate past-tense reporting consistently and separating comparisons into controlled clauses: “Melbourne recorded the highest café attendance, at about 64%.” Proofread articles and subject–verb agreement.

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