Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-03
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 above pie chart illustrates, the what anthropology graduates from one university degree course. The table shows the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.
Overall, the most graduates secured full time employment, whereas the small amount of part time work and postgrad study. In terms of salary the after 5 years, more people are earning $[redacted phone] in government sector as the private sector is giving very low salary.
According to pie chart, the people doing full time work graduates are largest which is 52% then is part time work which is 15% after that part time work and postgrad study is only 5% then there is full time postgrad study which is 8% then the people who are unemployed is 12% and not known are also 8%.
The next is salaries of graduates after 5 years, the people with government sector earns more in all three sectors like more than [redacted phone] is 50% students earn then 30% earn [redacted phone]9. Among freelance consultants only 40% earned more than [redacted phone] and same earn between [redacted phone]9 is 40%. Then the private sectors earns only 30% with [redacted phone] and in [redacted phone]9 it is only 25%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers both the pie chart and the table, identifying key features such as the dominance of full-time employment and the salary trends in the government sector. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, simply listing percentages rather than synthesizing the data effectively. The comparison between sectors is present but lacks depth. For instance, while you mention that the government sector pays more, the comparison could be more analytical by grouping the data points (e.g., high-earners vs. low-earners). The overview is present but could be more clearly defined to highlight the most significant trends rather than just stating the most common employment type.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs covering the two data sets. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive or mechanical (e.g., 'The next is', 'According to pie chart', 'then there is'). The flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed, making the progression of ideas feel a bit stilted. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to connect your observations more naturally, rather than relying on simple sequential markers like 'then' or 'the next is'.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'people', 'doing', and 'earns'. There are also some awkward collocations and phrasing issues, such as 'the small amount of part time work' (should be 'a small proportion') and 'the private sector is giving very low salary'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited. Incorporating more academic terminology related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'sector', 'remuneration', and 'fluctuate', would significantly enhance the quality of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include missing articles ('in government sector'), subject-verb agreement errors ('the people doing full time work graduates are largest'), and awkward sentence construction ('the salary the after 5 years'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. Focusing on basic sentence structure and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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