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 destinations of Anthropology graduates after completing their undergraduate degree, while the table compares their salaries after five years of employment.

Overall, beginning with the full-time work that were higher than others, while part-time work + postgrad study were lowest in destination. The government sector had the highest proportion of employees earning $ 100,000 or more, while private companies had a lower percentage in this salary range.

The largest proportion Anthropology graduates entered full-time work, accounting for 52%. While the smallest proportion of Anthropology graduates combined part-time work with postgraduate study, accounting 5%. However, part-time work accounted for 15%, while full-time postgrad study represented 8% of graduates.One the other hand, Unemployed group were accounted 12%.

In the government sector, 5% of Antrhropology earned between $5,000 and $49,999, while private companies, 25% of Antrhropology earned between $75,000 and 99,999. Freelance consultants, 40% Antrhropology earned $100,00+ in after five years work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main destination, full-time work at 52%, and note that combining part-time work with postgraduate study was the smallest category at 5%. The overview also correctly highlights the government sector’s 50% share in the top salary band. However, coverage of the table is incomplete: you give only a few isolated figures and do not compare the salary distributions across all three employment types. There is also a factual error: the government-sector figure of 5% is for $25,000–49,999, not $5,000–49,999. The final sentence reports the freelance figure of 40% but leaves the comparison with government and private companies undeveloped. Select the key salary contrasts and report them accurately to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, destination details, and a paragraph on salaries. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and linking expressions such as “while” and “On the other hand” show an attempt to connect comparisons. However, some links are awkward or unclear, as in “Overall, beginning with the full-time work that were higher than others,” and “One the other hand” does not clearly connect to the preceding point. The salary paragraph also jumps between sectors without a consistent comparison pattern. Grouping the destination figures together and then comparing salary bands systematically across sectors would improve progression and make the relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “destinations,” “accounting for,” “postgraduate study,” “proportion,” and “salary range.” These choices are generally appropriate and allow the reader to understand the main categories. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural expressions, such as “beginning with the full-time work that were higher than others” and “earned $100,00+ in after five years work.” The repeated use of “accounting” and “proportion” also limits variety, while “Antrhropology” is misspelled and the salary figure is written inconsistently. Aim for precise collocations such as “the proportion of graduates who…” and use consistent, correctly formatted salary ranges. This would make the vocabulary more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “while” and a subordinate clause beginning “after completing their undergraduate degree.” However, errors in sentence construction and agreement are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to read. For example, “the full-time work that were higher than others” has faulty agreement and an unclear structure, while “the smallest proportion … combined … accounting 5%” lacks a needed grammatical link. Other problems include “One the other hand, Unemployed group were accounted 12%” and the incomplete construction “In the government sector, 5% …, while private companies, 25%…”. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement, and punctuation before submitting.

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