Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-20

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 given chart illustrates the data on the students who graduated in anthropology from one university and their destinations after completing their undergraduate degree. In addition, the table provides the data about the salaries of the anthropologists in their professional life after five years.

Overall, the pie chart shows more than half of the graduates are doing full-time work where as the least number of students are continuing their postgrate studies as well as working in part-time.

Additionally, the table shows various jobs from highest paying to lowest paying jobs.

To begin with, more than half of the anthropology major graduates are doing full-time work after graduating from university wheras only 5% of people are continuing their studies while doing part-time work, 12% of graduates are unemployed whereas 8% of students are doing full-time work beside their postgraduate studies. 15% students are doing part-time jobs whereas 8% are unknown.

Moving on, the shows three types of jobs including freelance consultants, government sector and private companies. The anthropologists working in governmrent sector are getting paid the highest salary of $100,000+ whereas the lowest salary in freelance consultantion is $25,000 and 5% of graduates are working as freelance consultant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main destination pattern accurately: full-time work is the largest category at 52%, while combining part-time work with postgraduate study is the smallest at 5%. You also mention unemployment and the other destinations. However, the salary table is only minimally reported. Saying government workers receive the highest salary and freelance consultants the lowest does not describe the distribution across the four salary bands, and the claim that the lowest freelance salary is “$25,000” omits the range shown. The overview that jobs are “from highest paying to lowest paying” is too general and does not capture the differences between sectors. To develop the response, compare key salary proportions—for example, the share earning $100,000+ in government and freelance work versus private companies.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for graduate destinations and salaries. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with” and “Moving on” help signal the shift between topics, and the destination figures are generally grouped in a readable way. However, the salary paragraph is very brief and does not progress through the table’s information, so the second half feels incomplete. Some linking is also mechanical or unclear: “Additionally” introduces a broad statement rather than a specific comparison, and “the shows three types of jobs” leaves the reference unclear. Build a more balanced progression by grouping salary bands or comparing sectors, and use precise references such as “the table” and “the proportion of employees earning…”.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “destinations,” “undergraduate degree,” “unemployed,” “postgraduate studies,” and “salary,” so the topic is usually clear. There is also some attempt to vary wording, such as “graduates” and “anthropologists.” However, several inaccurate or awkward choices reduce precision: “postgrate,” “wheras,” “governmrent,” and “freelance consultantion” contain spelling or word-form errors, while “various jobs from highest paying to lowest paying jobs” is vague and repetitive. “Getting paid the highest salary” is less suitable for describing a table than “the largest proportion earned…” Use accurate terms for the salary bands and employment categories, and check spelling and collocations carefully to make comparisons more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including the opening sentence with “who graduated… and their destinations” and the contrast introduced by “whereas.” Most of the intended meaning can be followed, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. For example, “Moving on, the shows three types of jobs” is missing a clear subject, and “the least number of students are continuing…” has an awkward construction. There are also issues with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “15% students” and the long sequence of figures joined by commas. Aim for complete, controlled sentences: write “the table shows three employment sectors” and use a consistent pattern such as “15% of graduates were in part-time work.” Punctuate lists of comparisons more clearly.

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

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