Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The pie chart illustrates anthropology graduates from one specific university did after completing their undergraduate degree course, and the table reveals the salaries of the anthropologists in occupation after five years.

Overall, rather than half of the whole chart occupied by full time workers and less space occupied by part time and postgrad study workers. Similarly, government sector represents highest salaries among all of them. Lowest is private companies.

After graduates, almost 52% works represents by full time workers, Similarly 15% shows of part time workers and particularly, other sectors stayed on decreased flow that are 12%, 8%, 8% and 5% of part time additional postgrad study.

Salaries of Antrthropology graduates, government sector reveals 50% salaries with highest and In contrast, private companie salaries stayed low with representing 30% and freelance consultants remaining middle position by 40%.

In conclude, later graduate of university full time workers build their career peak through works and government sector earns highest salaries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of both the pie chart and the table, but the information is only partially developed and some parts contain inaccuracies. For example, the student writes that 'government sector represents highest salaries... Lowest is private companies', which is partially true for the highest bracket (50%), but misinterprets the broader private company distribution where 30% earn over $100,000. The overview attempts to capture the main trends, but the language used ('rather than half of the whole chart occupied by full time workers') is confused and unclear. To improve, you should ensure that all key data points are reported accurately and that the overview clearly summarises the most prominent overall trends without clumsy phrasing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, including an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs focusing on separate charts, which provides a coherent overall arrangement. However, the progression between and within sentences is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'Similarly, government sector represents highest salaries' is awkwardly placed, and cohesive devices are used repetitively or inaccurately, such as 'Similarly 15% shows of part time workers' and 'In conclude'. To reach the next level, you need to employ a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that referencing and logical links between ideas are smoother and more transparent throughout the essay.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Vocabulary use is limited and displays noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'freelance consultants' and 'government sector', but struggles with word choice, word form, and collocations. Examples of lexical awkwardness include 'in occupation after five years' instead of 'in work' or 'employed', 'works represents by full time workers', and spelling errors such as 'Antrthropology' and 'companie'. To improve, you should expand your control of functional vocabulary related to graphs and data, paying closer attention to correct word forms, word classes, and standard academic collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures and relies heavily on simple sentences or faulty attempts at complex ones. Frequent grammatical errors occur, including missing or incorrect articles, prepositions, and verb forms, such as 'almost 52% works represents by full time workers' and 'private companie salaries stayed low with representing 30%'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries also require attention to prevent meaning from becoming blurred. To achieve a higher band, you must increase your control over basic grammatical patterns, reduce the frequency of errors in agreements and verb structures, and demonstrate a reliable mix of accurate simple and complex sentences.

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

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