Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11
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 given below demonstrates the destination of anthropology graduates after gaining their bachelor diploma while the table shows the information about their wages according to different types of employment.
By observing the pie chart, it is noticeable that around half of the graduated students obtained full-time work and 15 % of them got part-time work. Moreover, there are 13% of the students who decided to keep diving into postgrad study. However, one-fifth of students are either unemployed or not known after graduating.
According to the table, we can tell that the salaries of anthropology graduates after starting to work over five years are typically above 75K. The proportion of individuals who receive over 75K are 80%, 80%, and 75% respectively for freelance consultants, government sector as well as private companies.
In conclusion, the pie chart and the table illustrate detailed information about job type as well as the number of salaries of anthropology graduates.
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 successfully identified the primary destinations of graduates and highlighted the salary trends. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, you mention that salaries are 'typically above 75K' but do not fully contrast the differences between the three employment sectors provided in the table. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a more comprehensive overview and make more explicit comparisons between the data points, rather than simply listing percentages. The summary is accurate but lacks the depth required for a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'According to' to link ideas. However, the transition between the pie chart analysis and the table analysis is a bit abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow could be improved by using more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the two distinct data sets. The overall progression is clear, and the information is easy to follow, which meets the requirements for a band 6 or 7.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'destination', 'proportion', and 'freelance consultants'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'keep diving into postgrad study', which is too informal for an academic report. Additionally, 'number of salaries' is imprecise; 'salary levels' or 'salary distributions' would be more accurate. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal phrasal verbs or conversational phrasing to enhance the professional tone of your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The pie chart given below demonstrates... while the table shows...'. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'the information about their wages according to different types of employment' and 'the number of salaries of anthropology graduates', which sound slightly unnatural. While your meaning is always clear and errors do not impede communication, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. Increasing the variety of your sentence patterns and ensuring greater precision in prepositional usage would help elevate your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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