Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 proportion of Anthropology graduates from one university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course and and also shows the salaries of anthropologists in their work for five years.

Accroding to the chart about 52 percent of people did Full-time work after finishing their undergraduate degree course, approximately, 15 percent did Part-time work, 8 percent people complete Full-time postgrade study. About 12 percent of pupils remain unemployed, however remaining 8 percent of people are unknown.

The second table chart shows the salaries of Antrhropology graduates after five years of work. According to the chart, Freelancers achieve 5 percent salary of 25,000-49,999 dollars, private companies 10 percent and government sector 5 percent. The seceond range is 50,000-74,999 dollars, on which freelancers achieve 15 percent, government sector as same 15 percent and private companies 35 percent. However, the third range is 75thousand dollars to 99,999 dollars on which freelancers achieve 40 percent, government sector 30 percent and private companies by 35 percent. Moreever the freelancers achieve 40 percent, government sector 50 percent and private companies 30 of the range 100,000 dollars or more.

In conclusion, the piechart and table chart ilustrates the destination and salaries of Anthropology graduates.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover both visuals and report several key figures, including 52% in full-time work and the salary distributions for the three employment sectors. However, the response is mainly a list of data rather than a clear summary of the main features. It omits the 5% who combined part-time work with postgraduate study, and the overview does not identify the broad pattern that most graduates entered full-time work or that higher salary bands were common in government and freelance roles. There is also a factual error: private-company employees in the $75,000–$99,999 band account for 25%, not 35%. Add a concise overview and select the most notable comparisons, checking each figure against the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introduction, a paragraph about graduate destinations, a paragraph about salaries, and a concluding sentence. This makes the two visuals easy to distinguish. Some progression is also signalled by phrases such as “The second table chart” and “The seceond range.” However, the salary paragraph becomes a sequence of figures, and repeated transitions such as “According to the chart” and “However” do not always show a meaningful contrast. The conclusion merely repeats the topic rather than synthesising the main findings. Grouping salary bands by notable patterns and using clearer comparisons would make the progression more natural and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “proportion,” “unemployed,” “salary,” and “range,” so the reader can generally understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate: graduates do not “achieve” a percentage of salary, and “pupils” is unsuitable for university graduates. “The second table chart” is also an awkward label. Spelling errors such as “Accroding,” “seceond,” “Moreever,” and “ilustrates” are noticeable and reduce precision. Use standard terms such as “share,” “earnings,” and “graduates,” and check spelling carefully. More precise language for comparing proportions would help you report the data clearly without relying on repeated wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and most of the data can be followed. However, errors occur in sentence construction and grammatical patterns. The opening says “the proportion of Anthropology graduates … did,” which needs a structure such as “what Anthropology graduates did.” The phrase “after five years of work” is clearer than “in their work for five years,” and “the third range … on which” is an awkward relative-clause construction. There are also problems with articles and number, as in “the remaining 8 percent of people are unknown,” where the graduates’ destinations are unknown. Aim for accurate, direct sentence patterns and vary them only when you can control the grammar.

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

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