Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-02

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 represents percentage of what students graduating from Anthropology did after finishing their undergraduate degree course, while the table illustrate the incomes of the anthropologists in work over a 5-years period.

Overall, it is clear that full-time work recorded the highest percentage of Anthropology graduates. In addition, salaries of Anthropology graduates in all three types of employment experienced the highest percentage of over $100,000 after 5 years' work.

According to the destination of Anthropology graduates from one university, following the highest number of full-time work with 52% is part-time work of 15%. Unfortunately, students who were unemployed after graduating recorded 12%. While, the percentage of graduates chosen full-time postgrad study is 8%, equal with that is 8% of unknown data. However, part-time work and postgrad study is the lowest percentage of 5%.

Based on the table, salaries of freelance consultants and government sector were experienced an upwards trend over a 5 years period. While, private companies were a little fluctuated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially, as required at this level. The overview correctly identifies that full-time work was the most common destination, and notes the highest salary brackets. However, the details provided in the body paragraphs are limited and contain inaccuracies. For instance, the statement that salaries 'experienced the highest percentage of over $100,000 after 5 years' work' misinterprets the table data for government sector workers (where $100,000+ is indeed the highest at 50%, but freelance consultants are split equally at 40% for both $75,000-$99,999 and $100,000+). Furthermore, the summary of the table trends is oversimplified and partially flawed, as the data represents proportions across salary brackets rather than a chronological progression over time. To reach a higher band, all key features should be reported accurately without misinterpreting static bracket data as temporal trends, and all points should be fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for the chart and the table. Information is generally organized logically, and cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'According to', and 'While' are used to connect ideas, though some referencing and transitions are mechanical or awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'While, the percentage...'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information together. To achieve a higher score, the logical progression between sentences could be smoothed, and cohesive devices should be integrated more flexibly and naturally without causing abrupt pauses in the reading flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is deployed for the task, successfully attempting less common terms such as 'destination', 'unemployed', and 'consultants'. However, there are notable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and word formation. For example, 'the table illustrate' lacks subject-verb agreement, 'graduates chosen' uses the incorrect participle form, and stating that salaries 'were experienced an upwards trend' combines passive and active voice incorrectly for trend description. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is uneven, resulting in errors that occasionally draw attention. To improve, the writer should focus on precise word forms, natural collocations, and standard reporting verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, control over grammar is inconsistent, featuring frequent errors that reflect a limited and restricted range of accurate structures. Examples include missing articles ('represents percentage of what', 'following highest number'), incorrect verb forms ('the table illustrate', 'graduates chosen'), and punctuation errors such as unnecessary commas ('While, the percentage...'). While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they persist throughout the text and restrict the writing to a lower band. To progress, the writer needs to eliminate basic agreement and article errors while mastering complex sentence patterns.

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

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