Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The charts illustrate the data on the employment destinations and salaries of Anthropology graduates of a university.

Overall, a very high proportion of graduates work full time, and a noticeable number are unemployed, while government sector employees earn relatively high salaries, followed by freelance consultants as well.

Graduates working full time hold a major proportion, at 52%; part-time employees account for 15%, while unemployed graduates hold a significant proportion of 12%. Full-time postgraduate students and graduates with no employment history account for 8% each, respectively. Students with postgraduate studies and part-time work account for 5%.

As far as salaries are concerned, among government sector employees after five years of service, 50% of the graduates earn $100,000 or more, 30% of them earn between $75,000 and $100,000, and 15% earn below $75,000. Freelance consultant employees earning $100,000 or more account for 40%, while 30% of them earn between $75,000 and $100,000. Private company employees account for 30% who are earning $100,000 or more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both the pie chart and the table. An adequate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting key trends such as the dominance of full-time work and high salaries in the government sector. Data is selected appropriately, with specific percentages cited to support the points, such as 52% for full-time work and 50% for top-tier government salaries. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and omissions in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that 15% of government sector employees earn below $75,000, whereas the table shows 5% earn $25,000–$49,999 and 15% earn $50,000–$74,999 (totalling 20%). Despite this slight misinterpretation, all parts of the prompt are covered well, and the information is sufficiently detailed to meet the requirements of a Band 7.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph framing the charts, moves into an overview, details the destination data in the third paragraph, and concludes with the salary data in the final paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'Overall,' 'Graduates working full time,' and 'As far as salaries are concerned.' However, some cohesion is slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is mostly clear, though the progression within the final paragraph becomes a bit disjointed when listing scattered statistics from the table without making fully cohesive comparative statements. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and meets Band 7 standards.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'employment destinations,' 'proportion,' 'unemployed,' and 'freelance consultants.' There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing is slightly unnatural or imprecise, such as 'hold a major proportion' instead of 'constitute the largest share' or 'Freelance consultant employees earning.' Word choice is generally clear, and although there are minor awkward collocations, they do not impede communication. Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout the response. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors, as the lexical range is sufficient for the task despite minor inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases alongside straightforward statements. Grammatical control is reasonably good; many sentences are error-free, and complex forms are attempted with varying degrees of success. For example, the sentence 'Freelance consultant employees earning $100,000 or more account for 40%, while 30% of them earn between...' is well-handled. Minor stylistic awkwardness appears, such as in the redundant phrase 'each, respectively,' but there are no major grammatical errors that impede comprehension. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and list items. This demonstrates a standard consistent with Band 7.0 for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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