Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-31

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)

This chart illustrates the career options that the Anthropology graduates choose after completing their course and the changes in the salaries of graduates after five years of work.

Overall, it is clear that majority of the graduates tend to choose full-time work after completing the course. Whereas others opt for either part-time work or fill-time postgrad study or a combination of both.

The chart depicts that full-time work is opted by 52% of the graduates. The second most chosen mode is part-time work with 15% with 12% remaining unemployed. 8% of the graduates tend to do full-time postgrad study and the others work a part-time work with postgrad study.

Among the employed graduates we can also notice that government sector has more probability of an increase in their salaries which is around 50%, followed by freelance consultants that have around 40% rise. Meanwhile private companies offer the lowest rise in salaries, which is around 30%. Moreover we can see that initially the private sector offers a hike of 10% which is higher than the others combined.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of both the chart and the table. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you correctly identify the highest category (full-time work at 52%), the description of the remaining categories is slightly disjointed. Regarding the table, you mention salary increases but fail to provide specific data points or make meaningful comparisons between the sectors. The task requires a more precise reporting of the figures provided in the prompt. Additionally, the final sentence regarding the 'hike of 10%' is unclear and does not seem to accurately reflect the data presented in the table, leading to a lack of clarity in the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, a body paragraph for the chart, and a body paragraph for the table. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', and 'Meanwhile' are used to link ideas. However, the flow within the second paragraph is slightly mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the progression of ideas could be smoother to better guide the reader through the data. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the argument, but it lacks the sophisticated cohesion required for a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'opt for', and 'freelance consultants'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'has more probability of an increase' (which is wordy and unnatural) and 'fill-time postgrad study' (a typo). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and variety needed to convey the data with high sophistication. To improve, focus on using more precise reporting verbs and collocations related to statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'majority of the graduates' (missing 'the'), 'work a part-time work' (redundant and incorrect phrasing), and 'full-time work is opted by' (passive voice usage is slightly awkward here). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound and varied.

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

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