Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-02
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 illustration explains about which degree Anthropology graduates did from one university after finishing their undergraduate degree course. The table below shows about salaries of the anthropologists after working five years.
Overall, pie chart shows that anthropology graduates did more full-time work than all features and percentage of not known is lowest than all. And salaries of three different departments such as Freelance consultants, Government sector and Private companies overall increased after five years of working.
Initially, 52% anthropology graduates prefer Full-time work after finishing undergraduate degree from one university. Secondly, graduates did part-time work about 15%. Graduates were unemployed, not known, full-time postgrad study and part-time work+postgrad study about 12%, 8% and 5% respectively.
The table illustrates salaries of anthropology graduates after 5 years work which is paramount point for the survey. 5% of Freelance consultants got $25,000-$49,999. And 15% to 40% consultants got $50,000-$100,000+.In government sector and private companies got 5% to 10% $25,000-$49,999, 15% to 35% graduates got $50,000-$74,999, 30% to 255 graduates got $75,000-$99,999 and 50% of government sector and 30% of private companies got $100,000+ salaries.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of both the pie chart and the table. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, simply listing figures rather than synthesizing the data effectively. The overview is present but lacks a strong comparative focus. There is a significant error in the data reporting: the mention of '255' in the final paragraph is clearly a typo or misinterpretation of the data, which affects the accuracy of the report. To reach a higher band, you should focus on grouping data points to highlight trends rather than listing percentages individually, and ensure all data points are transcribed accurately from the source.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Initially', 'Secondly', and 'Overall', though some transitions feel a bit repetitive or mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the two different data sets (the pie chart and the table) could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is sequenced in a way that is easy for the reader to follow, despite some minor awkwardness in sentence structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the data clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'freelance consultants', 'government sector', and 'undergraduate degree'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'explains about which degree' and 'paramount point for the survey'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied reporting verbs and nouns to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'a significant proportion'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'pie chart shows that anthropology graduates did more full-time work than all features' (which is logically unclear) and 'in government sector and private companies got'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent sentence construction will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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