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)
The provided pie chart depicts the data of what anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course, and the table illustrates the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.
At a glance, it is evident that most anthropology graduates did a full-time work after their degree course which is (52%), and least preference was given to part-time work + postgrad study by (5%), whereas unemployed and part-time work ratio is almost similar, or full-time postgrad study and not known is exact same percentage (8%).
On the other hand, it is vivid that there are three types of employment which represent various salaries amount of anthropology graduates after 5 years of work such as government sector has high ratio (50%) in $100,000+ salary, and freelance consultants or government sector scores only 5% in $25,000-49,999, while private companies overcome other employment by 20% in $50,000-74,999 amount.
To sum up, it is crystal clear that both chart and table represent their destination and salaries of anthropology graduates acording to their mindsets. Moreover, salaries of graduates showed after their 5 years of work.
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
The student successfully addresses the prompt by reporting the main features of both the pie chart and the table. They cover the destinations of anthropology graduates, highlighting that full-time work was the most common path at 52%, and compare salary brackets across different employment sectors, noting that government sector workers dominate the highest salary bracket ($100,000+ at 50%). However, there is some awkward phrasing and minor misinterpretations of data relationships, such as claiming that private companies 'overcome' other employment rather than comparing specific percentages clearly. Nevertheless, an overview is provided, and key comparisons are made, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical overall structure, starting with an introductory paragraph, moving into body paragraphs for the chart and the table, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices such as 'At a glance', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the overly long second sentence in the first body paragraph containing multiple clauses linked by 'whereas' and 'or', which strains readability. Paragraphing is present and appropriate overall.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying data-related concepts such as 'destinations', 'undergraduate degree course', and 'salaries'. The student attempts less common vocabulary items like 'vivid', 'proportion' (implicitly via ratio), and 'freelance consultants', but some word choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as 'did a full-time work', 'salaries amount', and 'overcome other employment'. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as missing articles ('did a full-time work'), incorrect preposition usage ('salaries amount of', 'in $100,000+ salary'), and run-on sentences that lack clear punctuation boundaries. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5 or higher.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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