Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18

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 6.5)

The provided pie chart summarises the information regarding the pathways chosen by anthropology students from one university after completion of their undergraduate degree. Whereas, the table reports the salaries of anthropologists after 5 years of work.

Overall, most of the graduates started working in various sort of jobs, mostly full time. While only a smaller number continued their post grad studies or stayed unemployed. As per the table, the majority of anthropologists received a salary of $100,000 plus after 5 years of work.

After graduation, 52% of the grads started working full time, whereas, only 12% remained unemployed. 8% grads started post grad studies and 5% of them were doing studies along with the part time work. 15% of the students resorted to part-time work and the destination of the remaining 8% is unknown.

After 5 years of work, 40% of the freelance consultants, 50% of government employees and 30% from the private companies received salaries of above $100,000. Whereas, only 5% personnel from freelance plus government sectors and 10% from private companies had the salaries between $25,000-$49,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task, providing a clear overview and selecting key features from both the chart and the table. You successfully identified the main trends, such as the prevalence of full-time work and the high salary bracket for most graduates. However, the analysis could be improved by making more direct comparisons between the categories in the table. For instance, noting that government employees had the highest proportion of high earners compared to private companies would have strengthened the analytical aspect of the report. Overall, the information is accurate and the main features are well-highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'while', and 'as per the table' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct data sets. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the general overview to specific details. To reach a higher band, ensure that transitions between sentences are more varied, as some of the sentence structures feel slightly repetitive in their reliance on 'whereas' and 'after'.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'pathways', 'resorted to', and 'freelance consultants'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'various sort of jobs' (should be 'sorts') and 'grads' (which is too informal for an Academic Task 1 report). While you successfully convey the data, the vocabulary is somewhat functional. Incorporating more precise academic collocations or varied verbs to describe trends would elevate the lexical quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as '50% of government employees... received salaries' (the data refers to the percentage of the group, not the employees themselves) and '5% personnel' (should be '5% of personnel'). Punctuation is generally sound, though there are some unnecessary commas, such as after 'whereas' in the first paragraph. The errors present do not impede communication, but more consistent control over complex structures and prepositional phrases would be beneficial.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.