Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-30
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 percentage of Anthropology graduates about what they did after graduating and their salaries after 5 years.
Overall, most of the graduates did full time work. While, the one who got lesser salaries were work in private companies.
According to Pie chart, maximum students started doing full time-job the percentage is 52 percent as compared to just 5 percent of students who have started postgrad study along with part-time job. 15 percent of graduates started doing only part-tme job which is biggest number after full-time job students. The percentage of not known students was 8 percent which same as the proportion of students who started doing full-time postgrad study. 12 percent of studnets were unemployed.
Comming to the salaries, The percentage of Freelance consultants and Government sector employes who earned upto 50 thousand dollars was 5 percent and it rose to 40 percent who earned 100 thousand dollars and 50 percent respectively. The private company employee's percentage varied between 10 percent and 30 percent and the salaries were 25 to 100 thousand dollars.
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 covers all parts of the task by reporting both the destination of anthropology graduates and their salaries after five years. An overview is attempted, stating that most graduates entered full-time work and noting the general salary trend in private companies. Key features are selected, such as the 52% in full-time work and the high salaries in government sectors and freelance consulting compared to private companies. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting and a tendency to list figures mechanically rather than fully synthesising comparisons. For instance, the statement that private company salaries varied between 10% and 30% overlooks the actual salary brackets presented in the table. Overall, the response addresses the prompts adequately, fitting a Band 6.0 profile.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged into a logical overall structure, moving from an introductory sentence and overview to the details of the pie chart, and finally addressing the table data. Paragraphing is attempted, though the body paragraphs are somewhat disjointed and could be organised more effectively. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes mechanical, such as 'According to Pie chart' and 'Comming to the salaries'. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression between sentences occasionally falters due to abrupt transitions and run-on structures. Overall, the organizational framework supports coherence, but the mechanical nature of the linking devices keeps the response at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'unemployed', 'freelance consultants', and 'government sector'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'lesser salaries were work', 'full time-job', 'part-tme', 'studnets', 'Comming', and 'employes'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy, and awkward phrasings like 'the one who got lesser salaries were work' detract from precision. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of lexical and spelling errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band score, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While, the one who got lesser salaries were work in private companies' and 'as compared to just 5 percent of students who have started postgrad study'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and punctuation (e.g., comma splices and missing prepositions). Sentences like 'maximum students started doing full time-job the percentage is 52 percent' demonstrate poor structural control. Although some error-free simple sentences exist, the high frequency of grammatical slips and awkward clause integration indicates a Band 5.0 level of control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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