Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-05

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 illustrates the destination of Anthropology graduates from one university after completing undergraduate degree course, while the table compare salaries of those working as anthropologists after five years.

Overall, full-time employment was the most common destination for graduate students, whereas only small portion of student did part-time work with postgrad study. After 5 years, government employees most likely to earn $100,000 plus, while private companies employees earned around $50,000 to $74,999.

Regrading to graduate students, 52% did full-time work. After followed by, around 15% and 12% could work in part-time job and unemployed. Whereas, approximately 8% were unknown and did full-time postgrad study. In contrast, only 5 percent prefer part-time job with postgrad study.

Turning to salaries, 40% freelancer consultants earned between $75,000 and $99,999 or more than $100,000, while in government sector around at least 50% received $100,000 or more than salary. However, private companied, 35 percent employees can earned around $50,000 to $74,999, while 30% received more than $100,000. In contrast, only 5% freelancer and government employees can got $25,000 to $49,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task, including the pie chart and the table. You have successfully identified the main features and made relevant comparisons, such as contrasting the employment destinations and highlighting salary trends. However, some data points are slightly imprecise or confusingly phrased, such as '40% freelancer consultants earned between $75,000 and $99,999 or more than $100,000'. This makes it difficult for the reader to distinguish between the two categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that data reporting is crystal clear and that you avoid grouping distinct categories together in a way that obscures the specific figures provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two distinct data sets. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Turning to', and 'In contrast' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or grammatically awkward, such as 'After followed by' and 'Regrading to graduate students'. The flow between sentences is generally clear, but the internal structure of some sentences is slightly disjointed, which occasionally disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking phrases will help improve the cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'full-time employment', 'freelancer consultants', and 'government sector'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'destination of Anthropology graduates' (should be 'post-graduation activities') and 'private companied' (should be 'private companies'). Additionally, the phrase 'can earned' is grammatically incorrect. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, the lack of precision and the presence of errors in word formation prevent a higher score. Focus on learning the correct collocations for reporting data and statistics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'the table compare salaries' (subject-verb agreement), 'most likely to earn' (missing auxiliary verb), and 'can got' (incorrect modal usage). There are also issues with prepositions and articles, such as 'around at least 50%'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs when describing trends and possibilities in data.

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

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