Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-05
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 pie chart elucidates the student's position after graduating in Anthropology and the table graph demonstrates the salaries of the students who pursued anthropology after their 5years of work.
Taking a general overview, the highest proportion of students who pursued Anthropology worked full-time in their jobs and the least percentage of students are working in part-time job while continuing their postgrad studies. The highest proportion of students at the position is for government sector for 100,000$ and the lowest is at the position of government sector and freelance consultants for 25,000$ to 49,999$.
It is pellucid that the most portion of the Anthropology graduates are chasing for full-time jobs which is a little more than 50%. The second most demanding job type is part-time work which is 15%. Moreover, there are 12% of graduates who are unemployed. The students who are working towards pursuing full-time postgrad studies are 8% and the there are 5% students who are working part-time while following postgrad studies.
Moving further, the most ratio of graduates are employed in private companies which is 10% and the half of 10% for both freelance consultants and government sector for salary ranging from 25,000 to 49,999$. The highest percentage of students employed at the position for salary from 50,000-74,999$ is 35% and the rest of them are 15% each. The students at the post of freelance consultants are the most in proportion for 75,000-99,999$ and the rest of the two are less than 40%. The most fraction of graduates in Anthropology are employed at the position in government sector which is 50% and the remaining two are less than the half.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover both the pie chart and the table, but the reporting of data is often confusing and inaccurate. For instance, the description of the table data is disjointed and fails to clearly link the salary ranges to the employment sectors. The summary of the pie chart is better, but the analysis of the table lacks clarity and precision. The student struggles to select the 'main features' effectively, leading to a list of figures rather than a coherent comparison. Some data points are presented in a way that is difficult to follow, such as the mention of 'half of 10%'.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is often illogical, particularly in the final paragraph where the connection between sectors and salary ranges becomes muddled. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover' and 'Moving further', but they are sometimes used mechanically or inappropriately given the lack of clear logical flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to track which data point is being discussed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of phrases like 'highest proportion' and 'at the position'. The student attempts to use more sophisticated vocabulary like 'elucidates' and 'pellucid', but these are sometimes used in contexts that feel slightly unnatural or forced. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'most ratio' instead of 'highest proportion' or 'largest percentage'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the least percentage of students are working') and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the rest of the two are less than 40%'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often lacks the fluency needed for higher bands. While the meaning is usually clear, the grammatical errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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