Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-28

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 pie chart illustrates the proportions of different types of jobs pursued by graduates of the Anthropology department of a university and the table demonstrates the salaries of these graduates after five years of working.

Overall, students after completing their studies are doing full time work while least proportion of graduates contributed as part time workers with postgrad studies. The highest salaries earned in the government sector by these graduates.

52% of the graduates are involved in the full-time work while 15% of the total contributed as part-time workers. Students after completing their studies who are not able to get job are at 12%. Additionally, 8% of graduates enrolled in full-time postgraduation study and 5% are those continue their studies as postgrad as well as doing part-time work. The graduates who are documentes as theie destinations are not known are 8% of total.

40% of grdauates working as the freelance consultants earned 75,000 $ to 100,000$ while 15% earned $50,000 to 74,999&. Lowest numbers of people 5% earned $25,000 t0 49,999$ as freelance consultants and in the government sector. 50% of employes able to get $100,000 salaries by working in the government sector. while, 30% workers in private companies earned $100,000 and 35% able to make $75,000 to $99,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the visual data presented in the prompt, successfully reporting the main features of both the pie chart and the table. The overview touches upon full-time work and salaries in the government sector, although it could have been formulated more precisely. Key data points such as the 52% in full-time work and the salary distributions across different employment types are correctly identified and contrasted. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing in reporting specific values, such as '50% of employes able to get $100,000 salaries by working in the government sector' where the data actually shows 50% earned $100,000+. Nevertheless, the main trends and comparisons are present, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and subsequent body paragraphs detailing the chart and table data respectively. There is a logical overall progression from the graduation destinations to the post-five-year salaries. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or missing, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'Students after completing their studies who are not able to get job are at 12%.' Paragraphing is used adequately to separate distinct datasets, but transitional phrases between sentences could be smoother to enhance the flow, placing this text firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, including terms like 'proportions', 'graduates', 'consultants', and 'sector'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'documentes', 'theie', 'grdauates', 'employes', and currency symbol placement issues like '75,000 $'. The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but frequent inaccuracies in word choice and spelling prevent the score from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.5 an appropriate evaluation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing auxiliary verbs and prepositions (e.g., 'graduates are involved in the full-time work', '5% are those continue their studies'), awkward word order ('least proportion of graduates contributed as part time workers'), and punctuation mistakes with currency signs. While these errors do not entirely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to typify the Band 5.0 descriptor.

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

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