Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-21

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 information about the destination of Anthropology graduates from one university after completing undergraduate degree. The table provides the incomes of the anthropologists in work after five years.

Overall, more than half of the graduates secured full-time empolyment, while in term of income, freelance consultants were the highest earners, whereas government sector employees earned the least.

Looking first at the pie chart, full time work was the most common destination accounting for 52%. Part-time work was the second largest work with proportion of 15%. Around 12% were unemployed. Full time postgrad study and unknown shows 8%. Only 5% combined part-time work and postgrad study.

Turning to the table 40% of freelance consultants earned over $75,000 upto $100,000 plus. In contrast, 50% of salaries generated in government sector about $25,000 to $100,000. For private companies,35% earned over $50,000-74,999 and 30% earned over $100,000. which shows a clear link between income type and employment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify both visuals and provide a relevant overview: full-time work is the largest destination, and the salary distribution differs by employment sector. However, the overview misstates the comparison by calling government employees the lowest earners; they have the largest share in the top salary band, while private-company employees have the largest share in the lowest band. The table description also confuses the salary bands: “40% ... over $75,000 upto $100,000 plus” combines two separate bands, and the government figures are not accurately reported. The response is 148 words, below the 150-word minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are excluded. Include more accurate comparisons and report the key salary bands clearly to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the chart and table. Phrases such as “Looking first” and “Turning to the table” help signal the shift between visuals, and the main points are generally easy to follow. However, the table paragraph becomes difficult to track because the salary categories are compressed into unclear statements, particularly “50% of salaries generated in government sector about $25,000 to $100,000.” The final sentence beginning “which shows” is also detached from the preceding sentence and does not clearly explain the comparison. Use complete, well-linked sentences and organise the table details by salary band or employment type.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “destination,” “accounting for,” “unemployed,” and “freelance consultants,” so the reader can understand the subject. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “the second largest work,” “salaries generated,” and “in term of income.” There are also spelling and form errors, including “empolyment” and “upto,” which reduce precision. The phrase “clear link between income type and employment” is vague and does not accurately describe the table’s comparisons. Aim for precise expressions such as “the second most common destination” and “earned salaries in the $75,000–$99,999 band,” checking spelling and standard collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some more developed structures, including the overview’s contrast with “whereas” and the sentence beginning “while.” Most of the intended meaning is recoverable, but some grammatical errors make parts of the response unclear. For example, “Full time postgrad study and unknown shows 8%” has a subject–verb agreement problem and does not make clear that each category accounts for 8%. In “For private companies,35% earned,” punctuation spacing is missing, and the following “which shows” is a sentence fragment. Articles and sentence structure also need attention in “in government sector.” Use complete sentences, check agreement, and state each figure with a clear grammatical subject.

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

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