Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie chart illustrates the destination of Anthropology graduates from one university after completing their undergraduate degree course, while the table presents data about the salaries of the anthropologist in work after working for five years.

Overall, it is evident that the majority of the graduates joined full-time work, while the smallest proportion are engaged in part-time work and postgrad study. Additionally, most of the anthropologists working in the government sector earn the highest income compared to other sectors.

Looking first at the destination of the anthropology graduates, more that half of them are now engaged in full-time work, while only 5% of them are enrolled in a part-time work and postgrad study. Additionally, 15% of the graduates are part-time workers, while the full-time postgrad study and unknown sector stood at 8% each. Furthermore, 12% of the anthropology graduates are unemployed.

Turning to the salaries of the anthropologists after working for five years, exactly half of them earn $100,000+ in the government sector, making it the highest income compare to other sectors. Additionally, 40% of the anthropologists are also earning $100,000+ by working as a freelance consultant, while only 30% of them are generating that level of income level in private companies. Interestingly, 10% of the graduates have salaries in the $25,000-$49,999 income bracket, while in the government sector and in freelance consultancy, only 5% each have that level of income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and reporting key features from both the pie chart and the table. The main trends are successfully identified, such as the predominance of full-time work (52%) and the high salaries in the government sector and freelance consulting (50% and 40% earning $100,000+, respectively). Comparisons are made appropriately across categories. For instance, the student correctly highlights that half of the government sector employees earn the highest income bracket. However, there is a minor typographical error in the introductory paragraph ("salaries of the anthropologist" instead of "anthropologists"), and the phrase "more that half" contains a typo ("that" instead of "than"). Despite these minor slips, the information is accurate, well-selected, and fully addresses the prompt requirements, matching Band 7.5 descriptor expectations well, so a band score of 7.0 is awarded for solid task coverage with minor data reporting generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. The essay is divided into a suitable introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs dedicated to each visual source. Cohesive devices such as "Overall," "Looking first at," and "Turning to the salaries" are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing within sentences remains clear for the most part. While cohesion is generally clear and logical, there is occasional slight repetition in sentence openings, which prevents a higher band. Overall, the structural flow meets the criteria for Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to academic reporting, utilizing terms such as "proportion," "engaged in," "graduates," "income bracket," and "consultancy." Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success, such as "predominance" and "consultants." However, there are a few word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as "unknown sector" instead of "not known category" or "unspecified destination," and a typographical error "compare" instead of "compared" in the final paragraph. Despite these minor limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient for precision, supporting a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses, comparative structures, and participial phrases (e.g., "while the table presents data...", "making it the highest income compare to other sectors"). There are several error-free sentences, demonstrating good grammatical control. However, a few minor errors persist, such as subject-verb agreement or word form slips ("salaries of the anthropologist" instead of "anthropologists", "compare" instead of "compared", and "part-time work and postgrad study" used as a singular entity). These errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably at Band 7.0.

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

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