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 illustrates information about the destinations of the anthropology graduates who finished their undergraduate degrees from one particular university. There is also a table shown below the chart which gives us information about their salaries after 5 years of work in differnet fields.

Overall, the chart is categorized in six different categories showing different trends for each single category. More than half of the portion is covered by a specific category named as full-time work. The other five categories shares the remaining portion of the chart.

Moreover, the major portion of the chart is covered by the full-time workers which are 52%. The second largest space is covered by the part-time workers which are 15%. There is also a category named as part time work with postgrad study which covers 5% and the unemployed sector is covering 12% of the whole chart. In contrast, full-time postgrad study and the not known categories covers only 8% of the complete chart.

Furthermore, the salaries table below shows that the highest paying sector is the government sector. On the other hand, the least paying sector is private sector. The freelance consultants are also earning very well than the private sector in terms of money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main destination, full-time work at 52%, and report the other destination figures accurately, including part-time work at 15% and unemployment at 12%. However, the overview is limited: saying the categories show “different trends” does not summarise the key pattern, and the table is not meaningfully described with figures. The claim that government is the highest-paying sector is broadly supported by its 50% in the top salary band, but calling private companies the “least paying” is too general: they have the largest share in the $50,000–74,999 band, while freelance and government workers have higher shares in the top bands. Compare salary distributions more precisely and include the table’s main contrasts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, details about graduate destinations, and a final paragraph on salaries. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the overview says full-time work accounts for more than half, then the next paragraph repeats that it is the largest category and gives the same 52% figure. The transition “Moreover” also introduces further details rather than a clearly distinct point, while “Furthermore” shifts to the table without developing the comparison. Organise the body into focused comparisons and use linking phrases to show relationships between figures, rather than relying on general connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “destinations,” “undergraduate degrees,” “unemployed,” and “salary,” and the meaning is generally clear. However, some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “portion,” “space,” and “covered” are used to describe pie-chart shares, and “different trends” is vague for categories that show proportions at one point in time. There are also spelling and form errors, including “differnet,” and awkward expressions such as “earning very well than.” Use more precise chart language and accurate collocations to describe proportions and salary bands. For example, refer to a category’s “share” or “proportion,” and say that one group “earned more than” another.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more extended sentence forms, and most sentences communicate their main meaning. For instance, the opening sentence introduces the chart clearly, while “There is also a category named as…” adds a further detail. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement and sentence construction: “The other five categories shares” should use “share,” and “full-time postgrad study and the not known categories covers” should use “cover.” The phrase “More than half of the portion” is also awkwardly constructed. Check agreement when the subject is plural and aim for more controlled comparisons, such as “The two categories each account for 8%.”

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