Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-04
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 4.5)
The graph compares the perceived danger and actual likelihood of being a victim of crime for the years 2009 and 2010. The crimes are burglary, car crime, and violent crime.
Overall, the perceived danger of being a victim of crime was significantly higher in every crime type for both years. While the percentages for an actual victim to perceived risk ratio had a substantial difference as being an actual victim had a much lower percentage compared to perceiving to be one.
21% of people perceived being a victim of car crimes in 2009 compared to the 16% in 2010. Similarly in 2009 more people perceived of being a victim of burglary and violent crimes than in 2010 by approximately 2.5%.
The percentage of being involved in an actual crime was almost equal for both years being slightly less than 5% for car crimes, 2.5% for violent crimes and burglary.
In conclusion, the percentage for perceived danger of being a victim of crime was higher in 2009, whereas the percentage for actually being a victim was less than perceiving of being one, however, the percentage of actually being in a crime stayed even throughout different crimes.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 2.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0
The response fails to address the task prompt entirely. The instructions explicitly ask for a summary of data regarding Anthropology graduates, their career paths, and salaries. However, your response describes a graph about crime statistics. This is a critical error, as you have written about the wrong topic. While you have attempted to report main features and make comparisons, the content is irrelevant to the provided prompt. Consequently, the response cannot be assessed for task achievement in relation to the actual data provided, leading to a very low score for this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'Similarly,' and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is based on the incorrect data set. While the structure is clear and follows a standard academic format, the lack of relevance to the actual task means the coherence is undermined by the fundamental error in content. Within the context of the writing provided, the flow is acceptable, but it does not serve the intended purpose of the task.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the (incorrect) topic, using terms like 'perceived danger,' 'actual likelihood,' and 'substantial difference.' The vocabulary is generally appropriate for a report-style task, and you avoid repetitive phrasing. However, because the vocabulary is applied to the wrong data set, it is difficult to assess your ability to describe the specific trends related to the Anthropology graduates. There are no major spelling errors, and the word choice is generally accurate for the context you created.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'While the percentages for an actual victim to perceived risk ratio had a substantial difference...' and 'The percentage of being involved in an actual crime was almost equal for both years.' There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'perceived of being' (should be 'perceived being') and 'stayed even throughout different crimes' (should be 'remained consistent across'). Despite these errors, the grammar is generally clear and does not impede communication. You show a reasonable command of sentence construction.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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