Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 how many students graduates in Anthropology subject from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course. In addition to, the table gives information about the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years different kind of profession.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the significant number of students work full-time whereas postgrad study with part-time work. The proportion of unemployed student and part-time work are almost similar. In addition to salaries of anthropology graduates who work in government sector for the higher wages than other occupation.

After completing graduation in anthropology, the most of the students work full-time with 52% while postgrad study with part-time work students who work with the least proportion with only 5%. The students who work part-time and postgrad study with full-time has exact same proportion with 8%.

Salaries of anthropology students who work as a freelance consultants with $100,000+ salary and salary between $75,000-99,999 stand with the highest proportion with 40% while the the students who work in private companies who stand with the least percentage with 30% and 25% respectively. The students who work in government sector with $100,000+ salary stand with the highest amount with 50%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main destination clearly: full-time work is the largest category at 52%, and the 5% figure is the smallest. You also include salary comparisons, including the 50% of government employees earning $100,000 or more. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: you say part-time work and full-time postgraduate study have the same share, although these are 15% and 8%; the 8% category is “not known.” The overview also claims government workers have higher wages overall, which is not established by the table, since the highest salary band is most common in government but freelance consultants also have 40% in that band. Covering the remaining salary patterns more precisely would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for destinations and salaries. This helps the reader follow the two visuals. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track, particularly in the destination paragraph, where the categories are combined inaccurately in “part-time work and postgrad study with full-time.” Linking phrases such as “In addition to” are repeated and do not always express the relationship between ideas. The salary paragraph also moves between categories without a clear comparison pattern. Grouping the destination figures from largest to smallest, then comparing salary bands across employment types, would create a clearer progression and more effective cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “salary,” “freelance consultants” and “government sector,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, such as “how many students graduates,” “the significant number,” and “stand with the highest proportion.” “Students” is also used repeatedly where “graduates” or “employees” would be more precise. Some phrases make the intended comparison harder to interpret, especially “different kind of profession.” Aim for standard chart-reporting expressions such as “accounted for,” “the largest share,” and “earned,” and use the exact category labels consistently. These changes would improve precision without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning “whereas” and “while,” and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, errors in sentence structure and agreement recur. For example, “how many students graduates … did” has an incorrect noun and verb construction, while “the most of the students work” and “the proportion of unemployed student … are” show problems with articles, plurals and agreement. The sentence beginning “In addition to salaries” is also incomplete, and “who work … stand” is an awkwardly formed clause. Practise building complete comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check singular/plural agreement and articles before submitting.

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