Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-18

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)

Given Pie chart shows the percentages of Anthropology graduates on what they did after their undegraduation degree.The table on the other-hand demonstrates the salaries of graduates after 5 years of work.

Pie Chart clearly represents that 52% graduates are working full time jobs, while 12% are unemployed. The chart also depict that 15% students are working part time, 5% are doing both postgrad studies and part-time work,8% are fully dedicated to higher studies and only 8% students are unknown.

Moreover, while comparing the salaries of graduates the table clearly shows that 50% people working in Government sector are getting higher pays. Graduates working in private companies are getting varied salaries with 10% being at lowest and 30% at highest. Among students who are working as Freelancers 5% are at the lowst salary range while 40% at higher end.

Both illustrations explains the difference clearly.Pie Chart explains that majority of students are employed after getting their degree, while table represents that major percentage of people working in Government sector are getting higher salaries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by summarizing both the pie chart and the table. Key features are reported, such as the 52% of graduates in full-time work and the 50% of government sector workers earning over $100,000. Comparisons are attempted, such as noting that graduates working in private companies receive varied salaries. However, the overview is somewhat weak, as the final concluding sentence merely restates individual data points rather than synthesizing the broader trends across both charts. Despite this minor limitation, the core requirements of Task 1 are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression, moving from the pie chart to the table and concluding with a summary. Paragraphing is utilized, though the essay would benefit from a more structured introduction and body paragraph separation. Cohesive devices are employed, such as "while", "moreover", and "on the other-hand", but referencing and transitions can be a bit mechanical. For instance, sentences like "Both illustrations explains the difference clearly" feel abrupt and formulaic. Overall, the logical flow is adequate for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as "percentages", "unemployed", "salaries", and "government sector". However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as "undegraduation degree" (undergraduate degree), "getting higher pays" (earning higher salaries), and "at lowest" (at the lowest range). Spelling and formatting errors, such as missing spaces after periods (e.g., "degree.The", "work,8%"), also detract from precision. While communication is not impeded, these lexical inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses introduced by "while" and "that". However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the response. For example, subject-verb agreement is flawed in "Chart also depict" (depicts) and "illustrations explains" (explain). Punctuation and spacing errors are frequent, notably missing spaces after commas and full stops. Despite these recurrent errors, the sentences generally remain clear and communicative, supporting a Band 6.0.

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

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