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 | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting the graduate destinations and salary breakdowns for the various employment sectors. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, mentioning that a very high proportion work full-time and noting unemployment and government salaries. However, the data presentation contains notable omissions and lacks full development. For example, in describing the salary table, the student mentions the government sector and freelance consultants, but omits important comparative details and misreads or truncates data points (e.g., stating '50% of the graduates earning $100,000 plus' for government employees instead of combining brackets clearly). While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision and incomplete coverage of the private company data places this in Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organised into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, a body paragraph on graduate destinations, and a final paragraph on salaries. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and structural transitions. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes repetitive. For instance, sentences within the salary paragraph rely on simple listing ('and 30% of them are between... and 15% are below...') rather than smooth linking. Paragraphing is present, but the overall progression lacks seamless coherence, aligning with a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'proportion', 'unemployed', and 'consultants'. However, there are frequent lexical errors, awkward word choices, and spelling mistakes (e.g., 'Antrhropology', 'emloyees'). Expressions like 'staggering 52%' are used, but grammatical collocation errors occur, such as 'government sector emloyees earning relatively high followed by freelance consultants as well' and 'earn ranges from'. These noticeable errors and limited control over precise phrasing restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many sentences contain noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include missing verbs and prepositional issues, such as 'government sector employees after five years of service 50% of the graduates earning $100,000 plus', which lacks a main verb, and 'Private company employees accounted for 30% who are earning $100k or more'. Punctuation is generally basic, and frequent grammatical inaccuracies cause occasional strain for the reader. These issues reflect a Band 5.0 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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