Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 below illustrates the work type of Anthropology of graduates of university after completing their undergraduate program and the table depicts the earnings of anthropologists for working five years.

overall, full-time work remains the main destination of graduates and part-time work+ postgrad study is less preferred by majority of student's while government sector leads into salaries section of fresh graduates.

In the pie chart, full-time work was accounted for 52% which more than half of the total percentage and the proportion of part-graduates time graduates was 15%. In addition, the share of unemployed people was about 12% while graduates with full-time postgrad study and not known was equally contributed of 8%. furthermore, part-time work postgrad study was the least preferred destination by anthropologists with only 5%.

In the table, the percentage salaries of freelance consultants show constant growth after 5 years of work with 40% graduate ranges in $ [redacted phone]+ while the graduates lie in the $[redacted phone] category holds the major share of 50%. moreover, earnings in the private companies depict fluctuation while looking to all category of packages.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main destination accurately: full-time work accounts for 52%, and you also report the smaller categories, including 5% for part-time work with postgraduate study. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate. The claim that government employment “leads” in the salary section is true only for the highest salary band; it does not summarise the table as a whole. The table’s key comparisons are largely missing: for example, 50% of government employees earn $100,000+, while private-company employees are most concentrated in the $50,000–74,999 band (35%). The statement that freelance salaries show “constant growth” is not supported by the distribution, which gives percentages across salary bands rather than a trend over time. Select and compare the main salary patterns more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the pie chart and table. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information, and connectors such as “In addition” and “while” help link details. To make the progression more effective, organise the overview around the strongest features of both visuals, then compare salary bands systematically. The table paragraph currently moves from freelance consultants to government and then private companies without explaining the relationships between their distributions, and it ends abruptly. Some linking words, including “moreover” and “furthermore,” feel mechanical or are not followed by a clear comparison. Consistent paragraph-initial capitalisation and clearer referencing would also improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “destination,” “proportion,” “share,” “unemployed,” and “salary,” and you attempt more formal reporting language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “part-graduates time graduates” does not clearly identify the 15% in part-time work, and “the percentage salaries … show constant growth” misrepresents a distribution across salary bands. “Fresh graduates” is also unsuitable because the table concerns people after five years of work. Aim for precise, conventional phrases such as “the proportion working part-time” and “the share earning over $100,000.” Check word forms and possessives, as in “student’s,” and avoid using “depict fluctuation” when the figures show category differences rather than change over time.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure and agreement can obscure the data: “full-time work was accounted for 52% which more than half” needs a complete, correctly linked clause, while “the graduates lie in the $100000 category holds the major share” combines incompatible structures. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and possessives, as in “of university” and “student’s.” Capitalisation after full stops is inconsistent, and some sentences run together without clear punctuation. Practise building accurate comparison sentences first—for example, “Half of government employees earned $100,000 or more, compared with 30% in private companies”—then vary the structure once the grammar is secure.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.