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 the destinations of Anthropology graduates from one university after completing their undergraduate degrees, while the table compares the salaries of those employed in different sectors after five years of work.

Overall, the full time work had a large degree course. The Full time postgrad study and Not known had a same persentage degree course. The Part time work had a low persentage degree course. After five years work salaries hase different type of employment had. The freelance consultants had a more salaries rayther then auther employment in Antrhropology graduates.

The destination of Anthropology graduates in full time work had a 52% this is the large number of university are giving degrees. The Part time work with postgrad study degree have 5% university give, this is the very few persentage. The Part time work have 15% work. The Full time postgrad study and Not known have a almost same work they had a 8% destination of Anthropology graduates from one university.

The salary table shows that freelance consultants and government employees generally enjoyed relatively high earnings after five years. Among freelance consultants, 40% earned between $75,000 and $99,999, while an equal proportion received $100,000 or more. The remaining 20% earned between $25,000 and $74,999. Government employees had an even greater concentration at the highest salary level, with half earning at least $100,000. A further 30% earned between $75,000 and $99,999, while only 20% received less than $75,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both visuals and include a relevant overview, identifying full-time work as the largest destination and noting that freelance and government employees tend to earn higher salaries. Most figures you report are accurate, including the 52% in full-time work and the salary distributions for freelance consultants and government employees. However, the overview is unclear in places, and the claim that freelance consultants had higher salaries than other employment types is not fully supported: government employees had a larger share in the top salary band. More importantly, the private-company salary data are omitted, so the comparison across all three employment types is incomplete. Develop the overview with clear comparisons and include the main pattern for private companies to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about graduate destinations, and a final paragraph on salaries. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and the transition to the salary table is clear. However, progression within the overview is weakened by unclear statements such as “the full time work had a large degree course” and “salaries hase different type of employment had.” Some information is also repeated, particularly the destination figures, without adding comparison or interpretation. The final paragraph discusses two employment sectors but leaves out private companies, making the comparison feel unfinished. Use clearer topic sentences and organise related figures together, with linking phrases that show contrasts rather than simply listing data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-appropriate vocabulary, including “destinations,” “undergraduate degrees,” “salary table,” “freelance consultants,” and “highest salary level.” The final paragraph also uses useful expressions such as “a further 30%” and “the remaining 20%.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “a large degree course,” “a low persentage degree course,” and “had a more salaries rayther then auther employment.” There are also spelling errors, including “persentage,” “hase,” and “Antrhropology.” Aim for precise reporting language such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “earned,” and check spelling carefully. This would make your adequate range more accurate and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and several sentences in the salary paragraph are controlled well, such as “Among freelance consultants, 40% earned between $75,000 and $99,999, while an equal proportion received $100,000 or more.” However, some grammatical errors make other parts difficult to understand. For example, “The full time work had a large degree course” has an unclear subject and verb pattern, while “The Part time work have 15% work” shows problems with agreement and sentence construction. In “The Full time postgrad study and Not known have a almost same work,” the article and structure are also inaccurate. Practise forming clear comparisons with accurate subjects and verbs, and use a consistent past-tense pattern when describing the graduates’ destinations.

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

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