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 information regarding what Anthropology graduates did after finishing their postgraduation 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 in Anthropology field.
To begin with, the pie chart reveals that, the 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 which accounted for 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, the table provides the information about Anthropology graduates ., which was , private firms which provided salary from $25,000 to $49,999 constituted at 10%, followed by government sector and freelance consultant represented 5% each. Similarly, wages ranging from $55,000 to $74,999 gave by private companies occupied 35% of the total, while both freelance consultants made up an identical share for these, representing 15% each. Besides that, 40% , 30% and 25% of anthropologists received $75,000 to 99,000 wages in freelancer consultants, public sector and private companies. In Government sector, 50% of anthropologists got $1,00,000 as a wages, while in freelance 40% and in private companies 30%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have successfully identified the main features of both the pie chart and the table. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data. However, the interpretation of the table is somewhat confusing. You listed percentages for salary ranges without clearly distinguishing between the three categories (private, public, freelance) in a way that is easy for the reader to follow. Additionally, you referred to the degree as 'postgraduation' when the prompt specifies 'undergraduate'. To improve, ensure that your data reporting is structured logically so that comparisons between categories are explicit and accurate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and you use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader. However, the flow within the second paragraph regarding the table is disjointed. The sentence structure becomes repetitive, and the use of punctuation is occasionally erratic, such as the stray period and comma in 'Anthropology graduates ., which was ,'. While the overall progression is clear, the mechanical nature of some transitions and the lack of clarity in referencing the table data hinder the cohesion of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'constituted', and 'identical share'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'wages... gave by private companies' (should be 'provided by') and 'Anthropology field'. Some of the terminology regarding the data is imprecise, which makes the analysis slightly difficult to follow. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive sentence structures when describing numerical data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'the largest proportion of Anthropology graduates were represented the full-time work' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'represented those in full-time work'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'gave the highest salary' instead of 'offered'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and periods. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the frequency of these errors limits the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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