Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-10
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 depicts what anthropology graduates from a university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course,
while the table represents how much anthropologists earned in work after five years.
Overall, the majority of the graduates worked as full-time, followed by part-time work, jobless, full-time postgraduate study, and unknown, and then part-time work and postgraduate study combined. Meanwhile, the average pay in government sector was larger than that the freelance consultants and private companies.
To begin with, 52% graduates choose full-time work, followed by 15% as part-time work. The percentage for unemployment is only 12%. There were 8% people opted full-time postgraduate studies. In addition, 8% is categorized as unknown. Finally, 5% of students are elected as part-time work while pursuing with postgraduate studies.
On the other hand, the government sector clearly overtook the freelance consultants and private companies in both the $75,000-99,000 and $100,000 categories. In contrast, the freelance consultants were earned more than other sectors in $75,000-99,000 which is 40%. In the end, 30% of the graduates recieved higher than in $100,000
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have successfully identified the main features of both the pie chart and the table. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data from the charts. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting. For example, you stated that the government sector 'overtook' the others in the $100,000 category, but the data shows private companies had the highest percentage (40%) in that bracket. Additionally, the summary of the pie chart categories is slightly confusing due to the phrasing 'part-time work and postgraduate study combined' appearing twice. To improve, ensure that your data interpretation is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the different categories provided in the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as the list in the second paragraph which is difficult to follow. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the overview where the grouping of categories is confusing. Improving the transition between sentences and ensuring that your list of data points is structured more clearly would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'undergraduate degree', 'freelance consultants', and 'government sector'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'students are elected as part-time work' (should be 'employed in') and 'the freelance consultants were earned more' (should be 'earned more'). These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, but they do limit the precision of your report. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and ensuring correct preposition usage will help you achieve a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as '52% graduates choose' (missing 'of'), 'the average pay in government sector was larger than that the freelance' (missing 'of'), and 'recieved higher than in $100,000'. These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that comparative structures are grammatically complete. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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