Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The pie chart provides a percentage breakdown of the destination of Anthropology graduates from one university, while the table presents comparisons of salaries between freelance consultants, those working in the government sector, and those in private companies after 5 years of work.

Overall, more than half of the graduates are full-time workers with only a small proportion of students pursuing their postgraduate study , working part-time or being unemployed.The average wages of these students after 5 years in different departments are mostly over 100,000 dollars.

In the pie chart, the students, who are working full-time ,constitute more than 50% of the graduates. 15% of the undergraduate students chose part-time work , while about 12% of the students remain unemployed. only less than 10% of the students decided to opt

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement. Because the essay is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, the overview is underdeveloped, and the data reporting is fragmented. While you successfully identified the main features in the introduction and overview, the lack of completion means you have not fully addressed the prompt. To improve, ensure you provide a comprehensive summary of all data points and complete your analysis of the table, ensuring the response reaches the required length to allow for a full development of the information provided in the charts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with an introduction, an overview, and the beginning of a body paragraph. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the flow and coherence of the text. You have used some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall' and 'In the pie chart', which help to structure the information. To achieve a higher band, ensure that your paragraphs are fully developed and that your ideas transition smoothly into one another. The current structure is clear, but the lack of completion prevents a full assessment of your ability to manage cohesion across a complete piece of writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'percentage breakdown', 'pursuing', and 'constitute'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'only less than 10% of the students decided to opt'. The vocabulary is generally functional and allows for clear communication of the data, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually accurate and grammatically sound within the sentence structure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some punctuation errors, such as the missing space after the comma in 'part-time ,working' and the lack of a space after the period in 'unemployed.The'. Additionally, there are minor grammatical slips, such as 'only less than 10%'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on mastering basic punctuation rules and ensuring subject-verb agreement, especially when dealing with percentages and plural nouns.

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

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