Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-06

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 illustrates the data about Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course and table depicts the wages of the anthropologists in jobs after five years.

Overall, the largest proportion of Anthropology graduates were represented the full-time work, while graduates who did part-time jobs with postgrad study were the smallest share. In the table, private companies provided the highest starting salary, whereas government sector gave the highest salary after 5 years of experience Anthropology students.

To begin with, the pie chart reveals that biggest share of Anthropology graduates did the full-time work after graduation at 52%, followed by part-time work at 15%, while fewer graduates did part-time jobs with postgrad study were 5% of the total. In addition, students who did full-time work with postgrad study and not known made up an identical proportion, representing 8%, respectively. Unemployment accounted for 12% of the total Anthropology graduates.

Furthermore, freelance

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response is incomplete, as it cuts off abruptly at the word 'freelance' after only 154 words. While the introduction and overview are present, the body paragraphs fail to fully address the data provided in the table. The summary of the pie chart is present, but the comparison of salaries is underdeveloped and lacks the necessary detail to fully satisfy the task requirements. Because the response is unfinished, it fails to present a complete overview or a fully developed analysis of the provided information, which significantly impacts the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the logical flow and progression of the response. The referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of the linking words limits the sophistication of the text. Because the response is incomplete, the overall structure is compromised, preventing a clear, logical conclusion or a fully developed argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases such as 'largest proportion', 'smallest share', and 'identical proportion' are used correctly, but the range is limited. There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'were represented the full-time work' and 'government sector gave the highest salary', which indicate a lack of flexibility. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it does not demonstrate the range or control required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'the largest proportion of Anthropology graduates were represented the full-time work' is grammatically incorrect, as is 'fewer graduates did part-time jobs with postgrad study were 5%'. These errors, while not always impeding communication, are frequent enough to be noticeable. The control of punctuation and sentence construction is inconsistent, and the unfinished nature of the final sentence further detracts from the overall grammatical accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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