Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-06

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 two diagram illustrate what graduates in Anthropology from an educational institution did after finishing their Bachelor's degree course and how much are they earning in work after half a decade.

Overall, majority of the graduates are working and earning more than $100,000. Others were continuing their education, while minority of the group were unemployed and unknown.

After finishing school, most of the graduates were employed. 52% of them are working as full-time and 15% as part-time. The second majority group which accounts to 12% were unemployed. The third group with the highest portion at 8% were graduates who continued their postgrad education and graduates who did not have any feedbacks to their school. Only 5% of the graduates were juggling with working as a part-time and continuing their postgrad study.

Now, looking at the table that shows their salary after 5 years of working, most of the graduates were earning more than a hundred thousand dollars. 50% were working in government sector, 40% as freelance consultants, and 30% working in private companies. The second highest group that were earning $75,000 - 99, 999 has also the same type of employment to those earning $100,000+. There are only 5% who were earning less than $50,000 at government sector and as a freelance consultant and 10% i private co panies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the main features are touched upon, some parts of the data are reported inaccurately or lack sufficient development. For instance, the overview contains a sweeping generalisation that the majority of graduates are earning more than $100,000, which misinterprets the salary table where the $100,000+ bracket only reaches 30% to 50% depending on the sector. Furthermore, details from the charts are sometimes muddled, such as stating that the second highest group earning $75,000 to $99,999 has the same type of employment as those earning $100,000+. To reach a higher band, the response needs to select and report the main trends more accurately and avoid over-generalising or misinterpreting the figures provided in the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, meeting the requirements of the lower band while showing elements of the next. Information is divided logically into an introduction, an overview, a body paragraph for the first chart, and a body paragraph for the table. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'After finishing school', and 'Now, looking at the table'. However, cohesion can occasionally feel mechanical or repetitive, and referencing within sentences is sometimes unclear, such as the pronoun use in the salary paragraph. To fully secure a higher band, the transitions between ideas and the internal referencing within paragraphs need to be smoother and more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic information about the charts, which aligns with the given band. There are noticeable errors in word choice, form, and spelling, such as 'diagram' instead of 'diagrams', 'unknown' instead of 'status unknown', and typographical slips like 'i private co panies' instead of 'in private companies'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, these lexical choices are accompanied by inaccuracies that occasionally distract the reader. To improve, the student should focus on precision in word choice, correct spelling, and more natural collocations when describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and prepositions, such as 'how much are they earning' instead of 'how much they are earning', and 'working in government sector' missing the article 'the'. Errors also appear in subject-verb agreement and noun phrases, such as 'majority of the graduates are' and 'accounts to 12%' instead of 'accounts for 12%'. These errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up, the student needs to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences, particularly when attempting complex structures, and pay closer attention to articles and prepositions.

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

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