Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Sample Answer (Band 7.5)
The bar chart illustrates the results of a survey conducted in five Australian cities—Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart—regarding residents' coffee and tea consumption habits over the preceding four weeks. The data is categorised into three distinct behaviours: buying fresh coffee, purchasing instant coffee, and visiting a café for coffee or tea.
Overall, visiting a café for coffee or tea was the most popular activity across all five cities, while purchasing instant coffee was generally more common than buying fresh coffee, with some notable exceptions.
In terms of café visits, Hobart recorded the highest proportion, with just over 60% of respondents reporting having visited a café in the previous month. Sydney and Melbourne followed closely, both at around 60%, while Brisbane and Adelaide had slightly lower figures, at approximately 55% and 50% respectively.
Regarding instant coffee consumption, this habit was most prevalent in Adelaide, where approximately 55% of respondents had purchased instant coffee, with Brisbane showing a similar figure of about 54%. Melbourne and Hobart both reported around 50%, while Sydney had the lowest proportion, at roughly 45%. Interestingly, Sydney, which had the lowest instant coffee consumption, recorded the highest percentage for fresh coffee purchases, at nearly 45%. In contrast, Adelaide and Brisbane, where instant coffee was most popular, reported the lowest fresh coffee buying rates, at approximately 35% each.
It is also worth noting that fresh coffee purchases were consistently the least common activity in four of the five cities, with the only exception being Sydney, where the figure for fresh coffee was comparable to that for instant coffee. Melbourne and Hobart showed relatively balanced patterns across all three categories, whereas Adelaide and Brisbane exhibited a clearer preference for instant coffee over fresh coffee. Overall, café visits remained the dominant choice in every city, underlining the strong café culture prevalent across Australia.
Why this answer scores Band 7.5:
| Criteria | How the sample meets Band 7.5 requirements |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement | Fully addresses all data points and categories. Provides a clear overview and makes relevant comparisons across cities and behaviours. Highlights exceptions and trends effectively. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | Excellent paragraph structure: introduction → overview → body paragraphs with logical grouping. Uses a wide range of cohesive devices naturally: Overall, In terms of, Regarding, Interestingly, In contrast, It is also worth noting. |
| Lexical Resource | Wide range of precise vocabulary: illustrates, conducted, preceding, categorised into distinct behaviours, prevalent, comparable, exhibited, consistently, dominance, underlining. Avoids repetition of basic terms. Uses appropriate synonyms for "percentage" (proportion, figure, rate). |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Wide variety of complex structures: relative clauses (which had the lowest...), participle phrases (regarding residents' coffee...), comparative structures (more common than, comparable to, approximately), and passive voice (were reported, was recorded). Virtually no errors. |
What pushes this to Band 7.5 (compared to Band 7.0):
| Aspect | Band 7.0 | Band 7.5 (this sample) |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Basic summary | Insightful summary with clear ranking (most popular, generally more common, with exceptions) |
| Data grouping | Describes each city sequentially | Groups logically (café visits together, instant coffee together, fresh coffee together) |
| Comparisons | Simple comparisons | Sophisticated comparisons (Adelaide and Brisbane exhibited a clearer preference for instant coffee over fresh coffee) |
| Vocabulary | Good range | Wider range with precision (prevalent, comparable, exhibited, consistently, dominance, underlining) |
| Grammar | Good control | Confident use of varied structures |
| Conclusion | Basic summary | Adds value with concluding insight (underlining the strong café culture prevalent across Australia) |
Key features of Band 7.5+ Task 1 demonstrated:
1. Strong overview with ranking:
"Overall, visiting a café for coffee or tea was the most popular activity across all five cities, while purchasing instant coffee was generally more common than buying fresh coffee, with some notable exceptions."
2. Logical grouping of data:
Instead of describing Sydney, then Melbourne, then Brisbane, etc., the essay groups by behaviour type:
Café visits (all five cities)
Instant coffee (all five cities with comparisons)
Fresh coffee (all five cities with comparisons)
3. Sophisticated comparisons:
"Interestingly, Sydney, which had the lowest instant coffee consumption, recorded the highest percentage for fresh coffee purchases, at nearly 45%." (Shows contrast clearly)
"Melbourne and Hobart showed relatively balanced patterns across all three categories, whereas Adelaide and Brisbane exhibited a clearer preference for instant coffee over fresh coffee." (Nuanced comparison)
4. Identifying patterns and exceptions:
"It is also worth noting that fresh coffee purchases were consistently the least common activity in four of the five cities, with the only exception being Sydney..."
5. Precise data language:
just over 60% (not just "about")
recorded the highest proportion
followed closely
slightly lower figures
at roughly 45%
6. Insightful conclusion:
"...underlining the strong café culture prevalent across Australia." (Adds value beyond just summarising)
Quick checklist for Band 7.5+ Task 1:
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Clear introduction paraphrasing the task
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Strong overview paragraph highlighting key trends
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Logical grouping of data (not just listing)
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Accurate data reporting with approximations
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Relevant comparisons across categories
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Identification of exceptions and patterns
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Wide range of precise vocabulary
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Complex sentence structures used naturally
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Virtually no grammatical errors
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At least 170-190 words
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Concluding insight or observation
Comparison: Band 6.5 vs 7.5 (same task)
| Aspect | Band 6.5 | Band 7.5 (this sample) |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | "The chart shows coffee habits in five cities." | "Overall, visiting a café... was the most popular activity, while purchasing instant coffee was generally more common than buying fresh coffee, with some notable exceptions." |
| Data description | "Sydney had 45% for fresh coffee." | "Sydney... recorded the highest percentage for fresh coffee purchases, at nearly 45%." |
| Comparisons | "Brisbane was lower than Melbourne." | "Brisbane and Adelaide showed similar levels, at around 50%, while Sydney had the lowest proportion, at roughly 45%." |
| Vocabulary | show, have, about | illustrates, recorded, exhibited, prevalent, consistently, comparable, underlining |
| Grammar | Simple sentences | Complex sentences with multiple clauses |
Additional tips for Band 7.5+ in Task 1:
Use a range of approximation language:
approximately, around, roughly, nearly, just over, just under, slightly more than, marginally above
Vary reporting structures:
The chart illustrates / It is evident that / Interestingly, / According to the data
Use comparative forms effectively:
more common than, comparable to, similar to, followed by, in contrast to, whereas
Identify the most significant features:
The highest, the lowest, the most popular, the least common, exceptions
Avoid repetition of "percentage"
proportion, figure, rate, level, number, bracket, tier
Add an insightful concluding observation:
Don't just repeat the overview; add a final meaningful comment about what the data reveals.