Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The chart illustrates 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.

Overall, destination and salaries of Antrhropology graduates from one university after many years' work. Salaries starts from lower level to higher level, which starts from full-time work to not known.

Firstly, the pie chart showns the information about the working hours. Full-time work is the highest among all the work, which was 52%. Where part-time work have 15% work rate and the lowest in the pie chart was part-time work + postgrad study. And full-time postgrad study and not work has similar 8% and unemployed has 12%.

After all those information aboutpie chart, there is a table about the salaries. Salaries starts from $25,000 upto $100,000+ where, freelance consultants has highest 40% in $75,000-$99,999 and lowest was 5% in $25,000-$49,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement, containing only 123 words (excluding copied prompt text). Furthermore, the overview attempted in the second paragraph is confusing and inaccurate, mentioning that 'Salaries starts from lower level to higher level' in relation to the graduate destinations. The selection of data is basic and misses key comparisons between the categories in the table and chart. To achieve a higher band, the response must meet the word count requirement, present a clear, accurate overview of main trends, and extend the reporting of data points more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response attempts a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and transitional words such as 'Firstly' and 'After all those information'. However, the overall progression is weak and disjointed, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'After all those information aboutpie chart'. Paragraphing is under-developed, with cramped sentences that lack smooth cohesive ties. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more accurately and ensure logical links between sentences and paragraphs to establish a clearer overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors such as 'showns' and 'not work' instead of 'not known'. There is a limited range of vocabulary appropriate for academic writing, and spelling mistakes like 'Antrhropology' detract from the quality of the response. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more flexible range of lexical items, use less common vocabulary with greater precision, and eliminate spelling and word-form errors that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies on a very limited range of sentence structures, mostly consisting of simple or faultily constructed complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Salaries starts', 'part-time work have') and tense inconsistencies. Punctuation and articles are also handled inconsistently. To reach a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over basic grammatical forms, increase the proportion of error-free sentences, and attempt a wider mix of complex structures with greater accuracy.

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

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