Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-23

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 percentage about what type of work the Anthropology graduates did after completing their undergraduation degree course. Followed by the table represents the data for the salaries and the types of emplyment for Anthropology graduates after working for five years.

Overall,according to the pie chart the Anthropology graduates who worked for full time after graduating is highest and the graduates who worked for part time work+postgrad study is at lowest. Meanwhile for table the Government sector for $100,000+ category the percentage is highest and for $25,000-49,999 category is lowest for both type pf employment such as Freelance consultant and Government sector.

The pie chart shows, the percentage of the graduates is higher for full time work which is 52% and part time work+postgrad study is at lowest for 5%. The students who worked as part time are of 15% and the students who where unemployed were 12%. In table the type of employment called freelance consultants and Government sector were raised steadily from 5% to 40% and 5% to 50% respectively. Wheras for private companies it was not raised.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main destination clearly: full-time work is the largest category at 52%, while part-time work combined with postgraduate study is the smallest at 5%. You also report several salary figures accurately. However, coverage is incomplete: the 8% in full-time postgraduate study and 8% whose destination is not known are omitted, and the table discussion does not report the private-company salary distribution. The overview also says the government sector has the highest percentage in the $100,000+ category, but this is only one comparison; the table’s broader pattern, including the high-income shares for freelance consultants and government employees, needs clearer synthesis. Develop the overview around the main contrasts and include representative figures from all three employment types.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details, so the reader can follow its general direction. The use of “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “Whereas” also shows an attempt to connect comparisons. However, progression is weakened by placing pie-chart and table information together in the final paragraph, and the table is not developed in a clear, systematic order. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “Followed by the table represents the data” and “In table the type of employment called…”. Organise the details into separate, focused comparisons—for example, destinations first, then salary bands—and use linking phrases to show how the figures relate rather than simply listing them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “graduates,” “salary,” “employment,” and “category,” and the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes the report less precise: “undergraduation degree course,” “type of work,” and “were raised steadily” are not natural descriptions in this context. There are also spelling errors such as “emplyment” and “Wheras,” alongside repetition of “graduates” and “percentage.” Aim for accurate chart-reporting collocations and vary terms where appropriate, while keeping the language formal. For example, describe figures as “accounted for” a share or “rose” across salary bands, rather than saying they “were raised.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Some sentence structures, however, are incomplete or awkward, as in “Followed by the table represents the data,” where the opening phrase is not connected grammatically to a main clause. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation: “the percentage … is higher” is followed by a plural subject, and “Overall,according” lacks a space after the comma. The sentence beginning “The pie chart shows, the percentage…” also uses punctuation that breaks the clause incorrectly. Practise building complete subject–verb sentences and checking agreement and commas; this will make your comparisons clearer while preserving your attempts at varied structures.

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.