Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-22
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 5.0)
The pie chart illustrates that destination of Anthropology graduates completed their undergraduate degree course and then did post graduate from one university. The table shows information about the salaries of anthropologists after five years in three different work sectors.
Overall, the majority of Anthropology graduates were employed in full time work. While the lowest percent of graduates were in part-time work and postgrad courses. Most number of graduates were having a highest salaries in freelance consultants and government sector. Whereas, graduates in private companies had the least amount.
Well, over half of the Anthropology graduates worked as full-time or part-time (52% and 15%) respectively. Following this, 12% graduates as unemployed. While full-time postgrad study and not known had the same percentage. In the contrast, only 5% percent of graduates worked as part-time and postgrad studies.
Regarding employment, those who have salary over 100 thousand dollars got the highest increment in government sector as compared to any other fields. While those who are in the range of 25,000 - 49,999 salary got only 5% of gain. Which is the lowest among others.
The graduates who have the salary of 100 million got the huge proportion of increment in all the sectors.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of both the pie chart and the table, but contains noticeable inaccuracies and confusing interpretations of the data. For instance, the student states that graduates in freelance consulting and the government sector had the highest salaries, which is generally accurate for the $100k+ bracket, but later makes nonsensical claims such as graduates having a salary of '100 million'. Furthermore, the overview attempts to highlight key trends, but the phrasing is awkward and partially imprecise (e.g., 'lowest percent of graduates were in part-time work and postgrad courses'). The data selection is generally relevant, but the misinterpretations and lack of precise comparison prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting an overview followed by body paragraphs detailing the charts. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions, such as starting a paragraph with 'Well, over half...' and abrupt shifts between topics. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately, such as 'In the contrast' and 'Following this'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structuring and referencing of data points often lack clarity, making the flow disjointed for the reader.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but is limited and repetitive. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the prompt, such as 'destination', 'proportion', and 'increment', but these are often used with incorrect collocations or meanings (e.g., 'got the highest increment', 'salary of 100 million'). There are also recurring word-choice and phrasing errors throughout the text, which restrict the lexical range to a modest level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions, such as 'graduates completed their undergraduate degree', 'Most number of graduates were having a highest salaries', and '12% graduates as unemployed'. Relative clauses and comparison structures are often faulty or incomplete. While these errors do not completely obscure the general meaning, they occur with high frequency and impede fluent reading.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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