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 what anthropology graduates did after finishing their degree course from one university, while the table gives information about salaries of anthropologists three different types of job after five years of working.

Over view of the given data shows that one half of the pie chart shows that anthropology graduates did full time work. The 12% seem to be unemployed and the 15% anthropologists are on part time duties who probably did not found any stable job after getting the degree, some of the students after getting degree moved away as it shows 8% participants are not known while the other 8% are continuing their postgrad studies following this information a small group of 5% is on part time duty with postgrad study to cover their expenses of daily living necessities.

The table shows three different type of employment freelance consultants, government sector, private companies. The range of salaries of these members of workforce range from 25,000 dollars to 49,000 dollars in first year increasingly 100,000 dollars or more in the last 4 to 5 years of two fifths from freelance consultants, one half of government sector and almost one third of private companies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main categories in both visuals and report several accurate figures, including 52% in full-time work, 12% unemployed, and the salary shares of 40% for freelance consultants and 50% for government employees in the highest bracket. However, the overview is not sufficiently clear or selective: it focuses on pie-chart details rather than summarising the main contrast, and the table discussion gives only the top salary bracket. Some interpretations are unsupported, such as graduates being unemployed because they lacked stable jobs or moving away. Also, “in the first year” misrepresents the table, which reports salaries after five years of work. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the dominant destinations and compare salary distributions across all three employment types.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to the graduate destinations and then to the salary table. This gives the reader a general sense of the two visuals. However, progression within the second paragraph is difficult to follow because many figures and explanations are packed into one long sentence, and the sequence of destinations is not clearly grouped. The phrase “Over view of the given data” signals an overview but is followed by a list rather than a concise summary. The final paragraph also combines salary ranges and top-bracket proportions without clearly comparing the categories. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key details, and organise comparisons explicitly—for example, contrast government and freelance salaries with those in private companies.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “anthropology graduates,” “unemployed,” “postgrad studies,” and “freelance consultants,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or informal, including “part time duties,” “moved away,” and “members of workforce.” “In the first year” is also an imprecise description of the salary data, which concerns employment after five years. Spelling and form issues such as “Over view” and “three different type” further reduce control. Aim for precise chart language, such as “worked part-time,” “the destination was unknown,” and “salary band,” and avoid adding explanations that the visuals do not support.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use complex sentences, particularly in the long sentence beginning “The 12% seem to be unemployed,” but these structures are often difficult to control. Errors include “three different types of job,” “did not found,” and “some of the students … moved away as it shows,” where verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction are faulty. The final sentence also has an unclear structure around “increasingly 100,000 dollars or more,” making the relationship between the salary range and the proportions hard to interpret. Sentence boundaries and punctuation need attention, especially where several ideas are joined with commas. Use shorter, complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement, past-tense forms, and articles before attempting longer comparisons.

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