Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-26

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 chart illustrates what graduates who studied Anthropology in one university did after completing their undergraduate degree course, while the table presents the wages of the anthropologists in work after five years.

Overall, it can be seen that the anthropology graduates dominated in full-time work, while part-time work+ postgrad study accounted for the lowest. The table highlights that the graduate's salary, those in Government sector and freelancer consultants recorded the highest.

Regarding the chart, Anthropology graduates were the highest in full-time work which was at 52%, closely followed by part-time work an unemployed with a figure of 15% and 12%, respectively. Similarly, full-time postgrad study and not known recorded 8%, whereas part-time work+ postgrad study accounted for 5%, making it the lowest in that category.

Turning to the table, 40% of freelancer consultants and 50% of government employees earned $100,000 or more after five years, compared to 40% freelancer consultants and 30% governments employees who received $75,000-99,999. The lowest salary band were 5% of freelancer consultants and government employees who earned $25,000-40,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You successfully identified the dominant category in the chart (full-time work) and highlighted the salary distribution in the table. However, the analysis of the table is slightly confusing; for instance, you state that 40% of freelancer consultants earned $100,000 or more, but the data provided in the prompt suggests different figures. Ensure that you are accurately transcribing the data points. The summary is generally effective, but more precise comparisons between the two categories in the table would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Regarding the chart' and 'Turning to the table' to transition between sections. However, some of the referencing is slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. The overall progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dominated', 'accounted for', and 'salary band'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'part-time work+ postgrad study', which is slightly informal in presentation. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating the same structures. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information clearly, but lacks the sophistication and flexibility required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'Anthropology graduates were the highest in full-time work' (which should refer to the percentage, not the people) and 'The lowest salary band were 5%' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally accurate, but there are occasional errors in sentence construction that slightly affect the fluency of the text. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy would improve this score.

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

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