Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The pie chart illustrates the post-graduation destinations for anthropology graduates from particular university, while the table presents the distribution of their annual income after five years of employment in three different sectors.

Overall, full-time employment was by far the most popular destination among anthropolgy graduates, whereas only a smaller portion of graduates pursued furthur studies. In terms of salaries, after five years, freelance consultants and those working in government sector tend to earn highest incomes.

According to piechart, the majority of graduates at 52% entered full-time employment. A further 15% worked in part-time, and 5% combine part-time work with postgraduate study. Meanwhile, 12% were unemployed, and only 8% chose to continue full-time postgrad study.

The bar chart provides insights into salaries across three employment categories, freelance consultants, government workers, and private company employees. Half of the government workers earn more than $100,000, which is the highest margin in the table. It is followed by freelance consultants with 40% earning between $75,000 and $99,999. In contrast, private company employees are evenly spread across different income stages, with 35% earning $50,000-$74,000, 30% earning over $100,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate successfully 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 that full-time employment was the most common destination and identifying the highest-earning sectors. Key data points are accurately selected, such as 52% entering full-time work and 50% of government workers earning over $100,000. However, there is a minor mischaracterisation in referring to the table as a 'bar chart', and some minor figures are omitted, which keeps the response just below Band 8 level. Overall, the visual data is well-summarised and comparisons are appropriately made.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is logically organised with a clear structure comprising an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the chart and the table. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the data, as seen with phrases like 'Meanwhile', 'The bar chart provides', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, ensuring each section focuses on a distinct set of information. While the progression is generally clear, occasional mechanical referencing (such as referring to the table as a bar chart) slightly disrupts the flow. Cohesion is functional and adequate for a Band 6.5 or 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, using terms such as 'destinations', 'distribution', 'annual income', and 'freelance consultants'. Less common lexical items are attempted, though with some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'government sector tend to earn highest incomes' (missing article) and 'highest margin'. There are also a few spelling errors, including 'anthropolgy' and 'furthur', but these do not impede communication. The lexical control is generally sufficient to convey precise data points.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'while the table presents the distribution...', 'which is the highest margin...'). There are some grammatical errors present, such as missing articles ('working in government sector'), subject-verb agreement issues ('government sector tend to earn'), and a tense inconsistency ('5% combine part-time work'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and do not impede overall comprehension, allowing the majority of complex sentences to remain clear and meaningful.

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