Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-14
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 proportion of Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course. The table depicts the salaries of the Anthropologists in work after five years.
Overall, in the pie chart, the highest percentage of people work as full-time work, while the smallest numbers of people select part-time work with study. In the table, a dominant salary is showed by the freelancer consultants, whereas the government sector employees have a least proportion of salary.
To begin with, in the pie chart, the greatest percentage of people decide to work as full-time works and it is a above half, followed by part-time work, at 15%. Many people also select unemployed (12%). Full-time postgrad study and not know information of people are identical (8%). An insignificant percentage is observed by part-time work with postgrad study.
Turning to table, government sector employees get lucrative salary $100,000+ and it accounted for 50%. Freelancer consultants had 40% of people receive salary. Private companies worker get a minimal percentage of people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 selected relevant data points to support your summary. However, there are some inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you stated that freelancer consultants have a 'dominant' salary, but the table shows that government sector employees have the highest percentage in the $100,000+ bracket. Additionally, your description of the private company workers as having a 'minimal percentage' is vague. To improve, ensure you accurately interpret the relationship between the categories and the figures provided, and avoid making generalisations that contradict the data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is logically organised into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs for each data set. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with' and 'Turning to table' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. The referencing is generally clear, but the structure within the paragraphs could be more fluid. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the progression of ideas within each paragraph is smoother and more cohesive.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'illustrates', and 'lucrative'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'full-time work' (instead of 'full-time employment'), 'not know information of people' (which is ungrammatical), and 'a least proportion of salary'. These errors occasionally impede the precision of your report. To improve, focus on learning common collocations related to data description and ensure you use nouns and adjectives correctly to describe statistical trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'a dominant salary is showed' (passive voice error), 'it is a above half' (article and preposition error), and 'Turning to table' (missing article). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and the formation of passive voice structures, which are essential for describing charts and tables.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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