Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-13

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 and table compare the 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, The destination of anthropology graduates from one university is increase in full-time work and dip the part time work postgrad study.

Firstly, the highly increase the full-time work is 52%. Secondly, the part-time work is initailly significant 15% , The full time postgrad study and not know are gradualy dip is both 8% .the unemployment graduates is grow 12% Finally, the part time work and postgrad study had been slip is 5%.

The salaries of Anthropology graduates after 5 years work. for freelance consultants, only 5% earn between $25,000 and $49,999 and 15% earn $50,000 to $74,999. However, 40% earn $75,000 to $99,999 and another 40% earn more than $100,000. So 80% earn more than $75,000.The government sector shows a similar pattern but with even higher salaries. Again, only 5% earn $25,000-$49,999 and 15% earn $50,000-$74,999. 30% earn $75,000-$99,999, and the highest number, 50%, earn more than $100,000.For private companies, the salaries are lower. 10% earn $25,000-$49,999 and a high 35% earn $50,000-$74,999. 25% earn $75,000-$99,999 and 30% earn over $100,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover both the graduates’ destinations and the five-year salary table, and most figures are reported accurately. The salary comparisons are particularly clear: for example, you correctly note that 80% of freelance consultants earn above $75,000, while private-company salaries are more concentrated in the $50,000–$74,999 band. Your overview, however, says destinations “increase” or “dip,” although the chart gives a single distribution rather than changes over time. It also does not identify the main overall feature: full-time work is the largest destination, at 52%, while the salary table shows high earnings are common in government and freelance roles. The destination details are listed, but their significance is not always explained. A more precise overview and clearer comparisons across both visuals would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, destination details, and then salary comparisons. The salary section progresses logically through freelance, government, and private employment, and linking words such as “However,” “Again,” and “For private companies” help signal comparisons. However, the overview and destination paragraph are difficult to follow because ideas are joined with awkward punctuation and unclear links, as in “The full time postgrad study and not know are gradualy dip is both 8%.” “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” suggest a sequence that the chart does not show, and the paragraph does not group the destination figures into meaningful comparisons. Use a concise overview, then organise each visual’s key features in a clear order, with accurate linking and reference.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “freelance consultants,” “government sector,” “private companies,” and salary-band expressions, which allows the reader to understand much of the information. There is also some attempt to vary language through phrases such as “similar pattern” and “higher salaries.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unclear: “highly increase,” “initially significant,” “gradually dip,” and “had been slip” do not express the chart’s static proportions naturally. Spelling errors such as “initailly,” “gradualy,” and “know” for “known” also reduce precision. Build a reliable set of expressions for describing proportions and rankings, such as “accounted for,” “was the largest category,” and “the proportion earning,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate several salary comparisons in complete sentences, and the later section shows some control of longer structures, for example, “The government sector shows a similar pattern but with even higher salaries.” However, the opening sentence is missing a grammatical link: “compare … did” should be “show what … did.” The overview also has problems with sentence structure and verb forms, including “is increase” and “had been slip.” In the destination paragraph, punctuation and sentence boundaries are unreliable, and the clause about postgraduate study and “not known” does not form a clear sentence. Most of the response relies on simple sentence patterns, with limited accurate variety. Practise forming clear overview sentences and use consistent present-tense verbs to describe chart data.

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