Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-25

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 pie chart illustrate the employment destinations of anthropology graduates from one university after completing their degree, while the table compares the salaries of the anthropologist professionals after five years of work.

Overall, full-time work was the most common destination, and part-time work shows the second most , and the government sector accounted for the highest proportion of top earners.

Regarding employment, just over half (52%) of graduates secured the full-time work, followed by 155 of part-time roles. The remaining graduates divide among further education (8%), unemployment (12%), unknown destination (8%), and part-time combined with post grad (5%).

In terms of salaries after five years, the government sector has the highest percentage of six-figure earners at 50%, compared to 40% for freelance consultants, and 30% for private companies. Conversely and lowest salary bracket ($25,000- $49,999) employed a small minority across all sectors, ranging from 5% to 10%. Private companies clustered in the middle income brackets, with 35% earning $50,000-$74,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of both the pie chart and the table, and makes relevant comparisons. The overview captures the most striking general trends, noting that full-time work was the dominant destination and highlighting the government sector's high proportion of top earners. Key data points are accurately reported, such as 52% for full-time employment and 50% for top earners in the government sector. However, there is a minor typo with the figure for part-time roles ('155' instead of '15%'). Despite this small slip, the response meets all the requirements for a Band 7 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear progression from the introduction to the overview, followed by separate paragraphs detailing the employment destinations and the salary data. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to guide the reader through the charts, such as 'Regarding employment', 'In terms of salaries', and 'Conversely'. Paragraphing is well-managed, separating the visual elements logically. Referencing is generally clear, though transitional phrases could be varied slightly more to achieve a higher band descriptor. Overall, the logical structure and cohesion align well with a Band 7 rating.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'employment destinations', 'proportion', 'freelance consultants', and 'government sector'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style, though there are minor inaccuracies such as 'the anthropologist professionals' instead of simply 'anthropologists'. Spelling and word-choice errors are rare and do not impede communication. The vocabulary range is sufficient to convey precise data points, supporting a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'while the table compares...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, showing good control over basic grammatical structures. However, a few minor mechanical errors are present, such as the missing noun in 'secured the full-time work' (dropping 'the') and the slight phrasing error in 'Conversely and lowest salary bracket', which should be 'Conversely, the lowest salary bracket'. These occasional slips prevent a higher score, placing the response firmly at Band 6.5.

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

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