Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-08

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)

The pie chart compares the destination of Anthropology students in six distinct categories, who worked after completing their university degree course from a university, while the table illustrates the salaries of graduates in three types of employment after 5 years of work.

Overall, full-time work was the highest proportion among all, and part-time work was the second-ranked in number. However, full-time postgrad study and not known were equivalent in percentage. In contrast, salaries of post graduates earned more initially from private companies, but in the last, government sector made the highest ratio of salaries for workers after 5 years of work experience.

In detail, 52% of graduates worked for full-time, which is about half of the proportion, while unemployed students consisted of 12%, and one-fifth made for part-time work. Whereas, not known students and full-time postgrad study accounted for 8% each, respectively. Lastly, part-time work and postgrad study were the lowest in all for about 5% only.

Whereas, freelance consultants and government sector shared salaries each to about $25,[redacted phone]0 (5%) and $75,000-74,999 (15%). However, salaries were significantly increased to about 40%, which was about hundred-thousand dollars in freelance consultants, and considerably rose to first 30%, and then 50%. While private firms started with the lowest, but then subsequently increased first to 35%, then dropped to 25%, before rising again at 30%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided relevant comparisons. You covered both the pie chart and the table, which is essential for a high score. However, there are significant inaccuracies in your data reporting. For example, you state that 'part-time work and postgrad study were the lowest in all for about 5% only', but the pie chart shows part-time work at 15% and part-time postgrad study at 5%. Furthermore, the description of the table data is confusing and difficult to follow, particularly the attempt to describe salary fluctuations. To improve, ensure that your data points are transcribed accurately and that your comparisons are clearly linked to the specific categories provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'In detail' to signal shifts in focus. However, the progression within the final paragraph is problematic. The sentences describing the salary data are disjointed and the logical flow is impeded by unclear references and confusing data interpretation. While the overall arrangement is coherent, the internal cohesion of the second half of the report is weak, making it difficult to understand the trends you are attempting to describe.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'distinct categories', and 'subsequently'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'made the highest ratio of salaries' and 'shared salaries each to about'. These inaccuracies occasionally hinder the clarity of your report. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations related to data description, such as 'accounted for', 'represented', or 'fluctuated', and ensure that your terminology for financial data is accurate and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage (e.g., 'shared salaries each to about', 'in the last, government sector made'). Additionally, some sentences are structurally confusing, such as 'salaries were significantly increased to about 40%, which was about hundred-thousand dollars'. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors will help improve your score.

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

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