Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-08

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 6.5)

The pie chart illustrates what anthropology graduates from a university did once they finished their higher education, whereas the table displays the income of the anthropologists employment five years later.

Overall, the highest proportion of graduates worked as full-time employees, while salaries were higher in the government sector compared to other sectors.

Regarding the percentages presented in the pie chart, 52% of anthropology graduates entered full-time work, while 15% of graduates worked part-time. 12% of graduates remained unemployed. Although the proportion of full-time postgrad study students and the one's who were not known about their career remained the same at 8%, post-graduates who balanced work and study accounted for the lowest proportion of just 5%.

As far as table is concerned, 50% of the graduated students received salary of around $100,000 and 30% of students earned from $75,000 to $99,999 in government sector. However, 40% of freelance consultants earned between $75,000 and $100,000. On the other hand, the earnings of graduates who worked in private companies was lower than in the other two sectors. 35% of private-sector employees earned around $50,000 to $74,999, while 30% of them got upto $100,000 salary.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover both the destination chart and the salary table, and your overview identifies two important patterns: full-time work was the most common destination, and government employees were most likely to earn in the top salary band. Most figures you report are accurate, including the 52%, 15%, 12%, and 5% destination shares and the government-sector figures. However, some table details are imprecise: freelance consultants’ 40% share applies to both $75,000–$99,999 and $100,000+, not a single range “between $75,000 and $100,000”; and “30% ... got up to $100,000” does not specify the private-sector top band accurately. The overview also could compare the salary distributions more fully. This is a relevant, generally clear summary, but some features need more precise reporting and development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview, and separate paragraphs for the chart and table. The progression from graduate destinations to later salaries is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Regarding,” and “On the other hand” help signal the relationships between points. This clear structure and generally logical sequencing are strong features. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however: “Although” introduces two equal 8% categories before contrasting them with the 5% category, making the sentence’s logic slightly awkward. The table paragraph also moves between sectors without consistently presenting comparable salary bands, which weakens the progression of the comparison. Grouping the salary data by income band or using parallel comparisons across sectors would make cohesion more flexible and the argument easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “unemployed,” “freelance consultants,” and “government sector.” These choices allow you to describe the main categories and comparisons clearly. Some attempts at more formal or varied phrasing are not fully natural or precise, however. “The income of the anthropologists employment” is an awkward collocation, and “the one's who were not known about their career” is unclear. “Got up to $100,000 salary” is also imprecise for describing a salary band. Repeated use of “graduates” and “students” limits flexibility, while “salary” and “earnings” could be used more consistently and accurately. Aim for natural chart-reporting phrases such as “salary distribution,” “fell into the $50,000–$74,999 band,” and “their employment destination was unknown.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a clear contrast with “whereas” and a subordinate clause beginning “Although.” Most sentences communicate the intended information, and the errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, particularly in noun phrases and agreement. For example, “the anthropologists employment” needs a possessive or a different construction, such as “the anthropologists’ salaries”; “the one's” should be “those”; and “the earnings ... was lower” has a plural subject that requires “were.” Articles and number are also inconsistent in “received salary” and “post-graduates who balanced work and study.” Greater control of these patterns, alongside the complex structures you already attempt, would make the report more accurate and polished.

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

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