Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows what Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course. The table shows the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparison where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The chart and the table illustrates the destination of Anthropology graduates and the salaries of the students respectively.

Overall, the highest number of students are working full time while part time graduates are only 15 percent. Moreover, Government sector has 50% of people having more than $[redacted phone] salary.

The pie chart shows that qualified individuals are working and the largest amount of people are working full time. 15% of the degree holders are doing part time jobs. With that, 8 percent of the students are studing further in post-graduate programs. Besides that 8% of the individual are unemployed. Furthermore, 5% of people are doing part time and studying.

Moreover, 5% of freelancer consultants are getting the salaries in between $25-50k and 40% are offering more than $[redacted phone]. While, private companies are paying the large amount to only 30 percent of the employees. Highest percentage of people are of government sectors who are recieveing the large amount of salary.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main destination, noting that full-time work is the largest category, and include several relevant percentages. You also report the government-sector figure of 50% in the highest salary band. However, coverage is partial: the overview does not summarise the salary pattern across all employment types, and the table discussion gives only a few figures. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: 8% are in full-time postgraduate study, not simply “studying further” without specifying full-time; the 8% unemployed figure is correct, but the 12% whose destination is not known is omitted. The salary comparison also needs precise categories and values. Select the main contrasts across both visuals and report them accurately to make the summary more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for the chart and table. This helps the reader distinguish the two visuals. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven: the chart paragraph lists categories without a clear grouping, and the table paragraph moves from freelance consultants to private companies and then government without systematically comparing salary bands. Connectors such as “Moreover,” “Besides that” and “Furthermore” are repeated or used mechanically, while “With that” does not clearly show the relationship between ideas. Organise the details around the largest categories and key salary contrasts, and use linking phrases that express comparison or addition precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “destination,” “full time,” “post-graduate programs,” “freelancer consultants” and “salary.” This gives the response enough topic-specific language to communicate its general meaning. However, the range is limited and some choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “the largest amount of people,” “doing part time jobs,” and “getting the salaries.” There are also spelling and word-form problems, including “studing” and “recieveing,” and “freelancer consultants” is not the natural label for this employment category. Use standard chart language such as “proportion,” “accounted for,” and “earned,” and vary the vocabulary used to describe percentages and salary bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast beginning “While, private companies…” and the overview sentence beginning “Moreover.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but errors recur in agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “The chart and the table illustrates” should use a plural verb, while “the highest number of students are working” has a mismatch between the singular noun phrase and verb. “8% of the individual are unemployed” also needs plural agreement. The sentence “While, private companies are paying…” is an incomplete dependent clause, and the comma after “While” is unnecessary. Aim for accurate, complete comparisons and check subject–verb agreement and plural forms before adding more complex structures.

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.