Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie chart illustrates destination of anthropology graduates from a specific university, while table chart depicts the salaries of the anthropologists in work after five years.

Overall, it can be seen that full-time work was the most popular choice among Anthropology graduates, while part-time work and postgrad study was least choice. In contrast freelance consultants contributed the lowest amont of salaries.

Looking at the pie chart in more detail, the majority of Anthropology graduates went into full-time employment, accounting for 50%. Part-time work was the second most common choice, at 15% of the graduates. Interestingly, 12% of the former students were combinedly working part-time while pursuing postgraduate studies, whereas a slightly lower proportion (8%) chose full-time postgraduate study alone. Finally, those who were unemployed made up 12% of the total, while the remaining 3% belonged to the 'not known' category.

Turning to the table, after five years, government and NGO workers generally earned higher salaries than those in private companies. Exactly 40% of government employees and 35% of NGO staff earned over $100,000, compared to just 25% in the private sector. Conversely, the private sector had the highest proportion of graduates in the lowest salary bracket (under $50,000) at 10%, whereas only 5% earned this amount in both government and NGO sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main destination as full-time work and include several relevant comparisons, but important figures are misreported, which limits the accuracy of the summary. Full-time work is 52%, not 50%; part-time work plus postgraduate study is 5%, not 12%; and “not known” is 8%, not 3%. The table is also substantially misread: the highest salary bracket is 50% for government employees, 40% for freelance consultants and 30% for private-company employees, not the figures given for government, NGO and private workers. “NGO” is not a category in the table. The overview claim about freelance consultants earning the lowest salaries is unsupported. Report the actual categories and highlight the broad salary pattern accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview and two detail paragraphs, with a logical movement from graduate destinations to salaries. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Looking at the pie chart in more detail,” and “Turning to the table” help the reader follow this progression. Comparisons are also signposted with “whereas” and “compared to.” This clear structure is a strength. To make the organisation more effective, ensure that each paragraph develops accurate, relevant comparisons: the salary paragraph currently groups government and NGO workers, although the table lists freelance consultants, government and private companies. The overview’s claim about freelance consultants also does not prepare the reader for the data that follows.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task vocabulary, including “accounting for,” “proportion,” “salary bracket,” and “sector,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some flexibility in how you describe figures and comparisons. However, several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward: “table chart” is redundant, “least choice” is unnatural, and “combinedly” is not an appropriate way to describe graduates working while studying. “Amont” is a spelling error, while “contributed the lowest amount of salaries” does not express a clear comparison. Use precise labels from the visual, such as “freelance consultants,” rather than introducing “NGO staff,” which is not shown. More natural collocations and accurate category names would strengthen precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a range of sentence forms, including a complex overview sentence with “while,” a participial phrase (“accounting for 50%”), and a comparison using “whereas.” Most sentences are easy to understand, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. Some grammatical control is evident, but a few constructions need refinement. For example, “illustrates destination” would be more natural as “illustrates the destinations,” and “part-time work and postgrad study was least choice” has an awkward subject and structure; write “the combination of part-time work and postgraduate study was the least common option.” In “12% of the former students were combinedly working,” the adverbial construction is faulty. Check articles and sentence patterns when describing categories and proportions.

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