Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-13

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 6.5)

The chart given illustrates the data about the anthropology students from one university, and what they end up doing after completing their undergraduate degree, while the table depicts the pay those anthrolopologists are getting after working for five years.

Overall, the pie chart shows that the maximum number of students end up doing a full-time work, and least number of undergraduates were doing part-time work and postgrad study. Majority of the freelance workers were getting $75,000-99,999, and the people in the governmenet sector were getting the maximum salary, which was $100,000+.

In terms of choosing what they end up doing, 52% students started doing a full time job, 15% undergraduates started working part-time, 12% people stayed unemployed, the percentage of not-known and full-time postgrad students is same which was 18%, while there were only 5% undergraduates who were doing part-time work and postgrad study side by side.

If we take a look at salaries, we can see that the 50% people working in the government sector were getting the highest salaries, which is $100,000+, while most of the freelancers were getting $75,000-99,999, and the highest number of people working in the private companies were 35%, and they end up getting $50,000-74,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the prompt well by summarising the main features of both the chart and the table. You have successfully identified the overall trends, such as the highest proportion going into full-time work and the salary distribution across different sectors. Key data points are selected and reported accurately, such as 52 percent in full-time jobs and 50 percent of government workers earning $100,000+. Comparisons are made where relevant, fulfilling the core requirements of Academic Task 1. However, some minor details could have been integrated more smoothly, and the overview paragraph misses a direct summary of the table data alongside the pie chart. Overall, the task is well addressed, earning a solid Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You have used an appropriate paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and two distinct body paragraphs focusing separately on the chart and the table. Cohesive devices are employed adequately, such as 'Overall', 'In terms of choosing', and 'If we take a look at salaries', which help guide the reader through the data. Referencing is mostly clear, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly repetitive ('start doing', 'end up getting'). Paragraphing is managed sufficiently and appropriately, demonstrating clear progression. This performance aligns well with the descriptors for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and a 6.5 is awarded due to slightly mechanical cohesive patterns.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate and generally appropriate for the task, with sufficient range to convey specific data points such as 'undergraduates', 'freelance workers', 'unemployed', and 'government sector'. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'proportion' or sector-specific terms, but there are some spelling errors like 'governmenet' and a slight repetition of simple verbs like 'doing' and 'getting'. Word choice is generally clear, and errors do not impede communication. However, the lack of more sophisticated lexical variety prevents the score from reaching a higher band. This represents a solid Band 6.0 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic structures and attempting more elaborate dependent clauses, such as 'while the table depicts the pay those anthrolopologists are getting'. There are some grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'the highest number of people working in the private companies were 35%' (where 'percentage' or 'proportion' would be more accurate than 'number') and 'the percentage of not-known and full-time postgrad students is same'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and errors rarely impede communication. The control over grammar is sufficient for a Band 6.0.

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

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