Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01
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 destinations of anthropology graduates after completing the degree course from Bern University and the table compares salaries who is anthropologist and served at least five years.
It can be clearly seen from the figure that almost half students work in a full-time job, while only 5% do both post-graduation study with part-time job. In survey, it can be marked that the proportion of two factors are similar, which are not known and full-time postgraduate study. Furthermore, the number of a part-time workers are cover 15 percent proportion. In addition, Unemployed individuals covered 12%.
Turning to the table, it shows the salaries of anthropologists in work after five years. In freelance consultant sector, $75,000-$99,999 and $1,00,000+ salaries for both categories the percentage is similar, which is 40 percent. Meanwhile, in the government sector, almost half workers get one lakh plus salary. In freelance consultants and in government section, the salary group between $25,000 and $49,999 contribute the similar number, which is 5. Similarly, earning from $50,000 to $74,999, both sector is paid similar number of employees, around 15%. In private companies, $50,000 to $74,999 is considered as the most paying salaries to workers and the second highest is 100,000.
Overall, many individuals got full-time job after graduation. After five years, in all three types of employment sectors, many workers get $1,00,000 earning.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main parts of the task by outlining the destinations of anthropology graduates and the salary breakdown after five years, meeting the requirements at this level. However, the treatment of the data is uneven, reflecting some under-developed or incomplete ideas. For example, while the student successfully reports the largest category for full-time work at 52% and mentions unemployed individuals, some key figures are omitted or described vaguely, such as the exact percentage for full-time postgrad study (8%). Furthermore, there are minor misinterpretations of the source data, such as claiming that 'the number of a part-time workers are cover 15 percent proportion' where the chart specifically indicates 'Part-time work' is 15%. The overview at the end is overly simplistic and misses out on synthesizing the broader trends across both the pie chart and the table.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure, dividing the text clearly into an introduction, body paragraphs for each visual, and an overview. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Turning to the table' and 'Overall', which help guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and cohesion can be faulty and mechanical at times, as seen in repetitive sentence starters and slightly awkward transitions between categories. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the pie chart details from the salary table, but progression within the body paragraphs occasionally feels disjointed because data points are listed rather than effectively grouped and compared.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough terms to discuss percentages and sectors, but the range is limited and constrained by frequent errors in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples include phrases like 'salaries who is anthropologist', 'do both post-graduation study with part-time job', and the non-standard term 'one lakh plus salary'. The student attempts less common vocabulary such as 'freelance consultant sector' and 'government sector', but these attempts are marred by inaccurate lexical control. Spelling and word-formation slips, such as 'post-graduation' instead of 'postgraduate', are noticeable and occasionally cause slight ambiguity for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing displays a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few faulty attempts at complex clauses. Grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in articles, prepositions, verb forms, and subject-verb agreement that can cause difficulty for the reader. Notable errors include 'almost half students work', 'the number of a part-time workers are cover', 'both sector is paid', and missing articles throughout the text. While the sentences are generally understandable despite the errors, the high frequency of basic structural mistakes prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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