Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-27

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 6.0)

While the chart illustrates the percentages of what Anthropology graduates did after their graduation from a particular university, the table exhibits their salaries after 5 years of work.

Overall, while more than a half percentage of graduates engaged in full-time employment, a small percentage of them started postgrad study along with part-time work. Moreover, after 5 years of work, anthropologists from government sectors had the highest proportion of salary in $100,000+ category.

52% of the Anthropology graduates started full-time work, the highest figure on the chart, followed by part-time workers at 15%. However, 12% of the graduates were not involved in any employment. Furthermore, 8% of them started their full-time post graduate study, whereas 5% of the graduates undertook part-time simultaneously. Nevertheless, nobody knows about the destination of 8% of the graduates.

Among the three employment categories on the chart, 50% working in the government sector's salary was more than $100,000, the highest number

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of both the chart and the table, providing a clear overview. However, the analysis of the table is incomplete. You mention the government sector but fail to compare it with the other two sectors (private company and freelance/consulting) shown in the table. Furthermore, the final sentence is incomplete and lacks a concluding verb or full stop. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data sets are fully described and compared, rather than just highlighting one data point. The overview is present, but the lack of detail regarding the remaining table data limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Nevertheless' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is slightly hampered by the abrupt ending of the final paragraph. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the chart data and the table data could be smoother to better integrate the two distinct sources of information provided in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'engaged in', 'proportion', and 'simultaneously'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'more than a half percentage', which is mathematically imprecise (it should be 'more than half of the graduates'). Additionally, 'nobody knows about the destination' is slightly informal for an academic report; 'the destination of 8% of graduates was unknown' would be more appropriate. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are grammatical slips, such as '50% working in the government sector's salary was', which is syntactically awkward. The final sentence is a fragment, lacking a predicate. Punctuation is generally functional, but the error in the final sentence significantly impacts the grammatical accuracy of the closing statement. To improve, focus on ensuring that complex noun phrases are constructed correctly and that every sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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

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