Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-06
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 split across six different categories of emplyment, while the table details salaries, of varying ranges, that these gaduates may receive after 5 years of experience in three different employment sectors. Overall, the majority of the greaduates were able to find empoyment, while part-time work along with postgrad study remained the least popular destination. Moreover, after five years of service, graduates who had chosen to work in the govenment sector were more likely to receive higher salaries.
Referring to the pie chart, full-time work was the most common destination among the graduates with a figure of 52%, while part-time work along with postgrad study was the least popular with figues of only 5%. Part time work and unemployment comes next figures of 15% and 12%, respectively. Full-tme postgrad study, along with students whose current destination were unknown share the same popularity at 8%.
Referring to the table, Goverment sector architecture graduates are rewarded the most for their service across five years, evident by the 50% data of $[redacted phone]+ salary.
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. You have identified the most popular destination (full-time work) and highlighted the salary trends in the government sector. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, you mention the government sector has the highest salaries but fail to compare this with the other sectors (private and non-profit) provided in the table. Additionally, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting; you state that part-time work and postgrad study are the least popular at 5% each, but the chart shows these as separate categories. More detailed comparisons would improve the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, a body paragraph for the chart, and a brief paragraph for the table. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Referring to', and 'while' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas within the second paragraph is slightly mechanical, and the final paragraph is underdeveloped, making the overall structure feel a bit abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the two data sets could be smoother to create a more cohesive report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'destination', 'employment sectors', and 'rewarded'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'emplyment', 'gaduates', 'greaduates', 'empoyment', 'govenment', and 'Full-tme'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, the lack of precision and the repeated spelling mistakes prevent a higher band score. Improving proofreading would significantly enhance your lexical performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the opening complex sentence. However, there are several grammatical slips and punctuation issues, such as 'Part time work and unemployment comes next figures of 15% and 12%', which lacks a preposition or verb to connect the figures clearly. Another example is 'students whose current destination were unknown', where subject-verb agreement is incorrect. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score to the 6.0 band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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