Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-27
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 charts illustrate the data of employment destination and salaries of Antrhropology graduates of a university.
Overall, very high proportion of graduates working full time and a noticeable number is unemployed while government sector emloyees earning relatively high followed by freelance consultants as well.
Graduates working full time hold a major proportion staggering 52%, part time employees are accounted for 15% while unemployed graduates hold a significant proportion of 12%. Full time postgrad students and graduates with no employment history accounted for 8% each, respectively. Students with postgrad studies and part time work accounts for 5%.
As far as salaries are concerned, government sector employees after five years of service 50% of the graduates earning $100,000 plus and 30% of them are between $75,000-$100,000 and 15% are below 75,000$. Freelance consultants employees earning $100,000 plus accounted for 40% while 30% of them earn ranges from $75,000-$100,000.
Private company employees accounted for 30% who are earning $100k or more.
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 covers the main features of both the chart and the table, selecting key data such as the 52% for full-time work and the salary distributions for the government sector and freelance consultants. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, mentioning that a very high proportion work full-time and noting government sector earnings. However, the overview is slightly fragmented and lacks a complete summary of the table trends. Data reporting is generally accurate, citing figures like 52%, 15%, and 12% for destinations, and 50% for the top government salary bracket. Some minor details are omitted or slightly imprecise, but the overall task is addressed satisfactorily, earning a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement, divided into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for destinations and salaries. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or faulty. Phrases like 'As far as salaries are concerned' introduce the second data set adequately, but transitions within paragraphs are abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'government sector employees after five years of service 50% of the graduates earning...', which lacks grammatical connection. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct parts of the visual data, though the structure could be smoother. This level of organisation aligns with Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'proportion', 'unemployed', and 'freelance consultants'. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'Antrhropology' (Anthropology), 'emloyees' (employees), and awkward phrasing like 'earning ranges from'. Less common lexical items are attempted, but inaccuracies in collocation and word form prevent the score from reaching a higher band. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Graduates working full time hold a major proportion staggering 52%...' and 'Private company employees accounted for 30% who are earning $100k or more.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward clause structures, particularly missing verbs and prepositions (e.g., 'government sector employees ... 50% of the graduates earning...'). Punctuation is basic, and some sentences lack proper subordination. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.