Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-03

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 drinking habits like coffee and tea of people in five Australian cities namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart in last four weeks. Overall, In this survey most of the people are least likely to buy fresh coffee rather than instant coffee or tea from cafe's while most of the people have high tendency to go to a cafe for coffee or tea, except people of Adelaide.

People from cities Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart have the highest proportion of cafe goers, ranging from 60-65%. Where as people of Brisbane and Adelaide have almost same proportion of fresh coffee buyers, make up to just under 35%. All the cities instant coffee buyers make up between the ranges of 45-55%.

In this survey, only people from Adelaide have a different proportion for instant coffee buyers and cafe goers. This makes the people of Adelaide different from the other four cities in Australia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview, correctly noting that café visits are generally more common than fresh-coffee purchases and that Adelaide is an exception in the comparison of café-going and instant-coffee buying. You also report the high café figures for Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, and the similar fresh-coffee proportions in Brisbane and Adelaide. However, the account is only partial: it gives few precise comparisons and does not explain key contrasts, such as instant coffee being the most popular category in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart, while café visits lead in Sydney and Melbourne. The claim that people are “least likely” to buy fresh coffee is too broad, since this is not true in every city. Select and compare the main patterns more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to selected comparisons and a final comment about Adelaide. This gives the reader some organisation, and the city groupings are generally understandable. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph repeats the idea that Adelaide is different without adding a clear new comparison. Connections between points are also sometimes awkward: “Where as” introduces a fragment-like comparison, while “This makes the people of Adelaide different” does not specify precisely which data difference is meant. Group the information by category or by contrasting city patterns, and use linking phrases to show how each comparison relates to the overview. This would make the progression clearer and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing the chart, including “proportion,” “ranging from,” “buyers” and “survey,” so the main topic is communicated. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for formal data reporting. “Drinking habits like coffee and tea” does not accurately describe the chart’s mix of purchasing and café-going behaviours, and “high tendency” is less suitable than a phrase describing a high percentage. “Cafe goers” and “instant coffee buyers” are understandable but repeated, while “make up to just under 35%” is an awkward collocation. Use precise terms such as “share of residents,” “visited a café,” and “accounted for,” and vary the wording without sacrificing accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including an overview with a contrast and a sentence using “while,” and the main meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer constructions. The opening sentence lacks an article before “last four weeks,” and “Overall, In this survey” has incorrect capitalisation and punctuation. “Where as people of Brisbane and Adelaide have almost same proportion …, make up to just under 35%” is not a complete, well-controlled sentence: the comparison clause and its verb do not fit together. There are also article and number issues in phrases such as “a cafe” and “the people … different.” Aim for complete, clearly structured sentences, checking articles, agreement and punctuation, especially when combining comparisons.

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