Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07
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 given pie chart illustrate what did Anthropology students after completing their undergraduate degree, while tabular chart depicts the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.
Overall, it is readily apparent that although the highest students did full -time work after doing graduation, the least percentage of students did part-time work and postgraduate study. Meanwhile, private companies gave the highest salary as compared to other sectors.
To begin with, 52 percent of graduates did full -time work, whereas part time job was preferred by only 15 percent. Additionally, an identical proportion of graduates did full -time postgrad study and not known, which was 8 percent. Conversely, 5 percent of graduates selected part time work and postgraduate study; however, 12percent of graduates were recorded unemployed.
Moreover, private companies offered higher salaries in comparison with government sector as well as freelance consultants.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you have identified the main features of both the chart and the table, the analysis is somewhat superficial. You have successfully highlighted the highest and lowest categories, but the comparison of the salary data is underdeveloped. For instance, you mention that private companies offer higher salaries but fail to include any of the specific figures provided in the table to support this claim. To achieve a higher band, ensure you include specific data points to illustrate your comparisons and ensure the response meets the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Additionally', and 'Conversely' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is slightly mechanical, and the transition between the pie chart data and the table data is abrupt. The overview is clear, but the overall flow could be improved by using more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the two distinct data sets. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraphs are quite short, which affects the overall structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the main information. You use terms like 'undergraduate degree', 'full-time work', and 'freelance consultants' correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'highest students' (which should be 'highest percentage of students') and 'did full-time postgrad study'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'a significant majority'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are several grammatical errors throughout the text that affect clarity. For example, 'The given pie chart illustrate' should be 'illustrates' (subject-verb agreement), and 'what did Anthropology students' is incorrectly structured as a question rather than a noun clause. There are also issues with punctuation, such as the spacing in 'full -time' and '12percent'. While you attempt some complex sentence structures, the frequent errors in basic grammar and word order prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent sentence structure will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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