Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-16

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 demonstrates what Anthropology students did after graduating from the same university, whereas, the table displays the income of the anthropologists in work after completing their degree course of five years.

Overall, the Anthropology graduates are divided into six group based on their job description, including full-time, part-time, part-time work plus postgrad study, few had a full-time job and were studing postgraduate courses, some were unemployed, and lastly some graduate's job description was unknown.

The post-graduate students who worked full-time were the highest among all of the categories which was about 52%. The second leading group was of graduates who had part-time jobs, about 15%. Unemployed graduates were 12%, and the least concentrated groups included part-time workers who were studying post-grad courses of approximately 5%, full-time post-grad study category, and those students whose working status was not known.

The table given shows the income of Anthropology graduates, categorised on the basis of types of employment consisting of freelance consultants, government sector, and private employees, after completing 5 years of work. Among the first group, the highest percentage of employees earning around

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main destination categories and correctly report several figures, including full-time work at 52%, part-time work at 15%, and unemployment at 12%. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: it describes graduates as “post-graduate students who worked full-time” when 52% represents full-time work, and it repeats categories rather than summarising the main pattern. The table is introduced but not meaningfully reported; the response stops after beginning to describe the first employment group, so none of the salary distributions or comparisons are given. To address the task more fully, include an overview of the dominant outcomes and salary pattern, then compare key figures across all three employment types. Also distinguish full-time work from full-time postgraduate study.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, details about graduate destinations, and a paragraph introducing the salary table. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “The second leading group,” and “Among the first group” help signal relationships. However, progression is weakened by the overview’s long list of categories and by the final paragraph ending mid-description, leaving the table discussion undeveloped. The phrase “whereas” in the opening also creates a contrast that is not clearly needed. For clearer progression, group related figures together, use the overview to state the main patterns, and complete the salary comparisons before concluding.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “graduates,” “unemployed,” “freelance consultants,” and “government sector,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “categorised on the basis of types of employment.” Some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “job description” does not accurately describe graduates’ destinations, and “least concentrated groups” is an unnatural way to refer to the smallest categories. “Income” is understandable, but “salary bands” would describe the table more precisely. Spelling errors such as “studing” and “graduate's” also reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, conventional chart language and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast in the introduction and a relative clause in “those students whose working status was not known.” Most of the intended meaning can be followed, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions remain. For example, “six group” needs a plural noun, and “the highest among all of the categories which was about 52%” has an unclear relative clause and agreement. The opening comma after “whereas” is also unnecessary. The overview sentence is overloaded, making its structure difficult to control. Use shorter, clearly structured sentences when listing categories, and check plural agreement, clause attachment, and punctuation when combining ideas.

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