Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-24

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)

52 % of the students are able to get full time job which is appretiative and shows effectiveness of the program in job market. other 15 % are doing part time jobs with some other main jobs so degree is still productive for them. 5 % are doing part time job with studying is quite understandable that they will persue more higher options of earning later due to having more experience of working with studying and also will be able to manage their study expenses alongside.8 % full time postgrad studying may be persuing the field of research in anthropology. un employed percentage is quite high and alarming that if they are unable to fullfill job requirements and not capable of putting their degree into use or effected by jobs availability. 8 % of students may have changed their profession.

Salaries in the government sectors are highest. 50 % employees of goverment are earning more than 100,000 $ and on the other hand only 30 % of freelancing consultants and 40 % of private company employees earning in this range.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report several key figures accurately, including 52% in full-time work, 12% unemployed, and the government-sector figure of 50% earning over $100,000. However, the response does not give a clear overview of the main patterns across both visuals. The salary comparison focuses almost entirely on the highest band, omitting useful contrasts such as private-company employees being most concentrated in the $50,000–74,999 range (35%). Some explanations are speculative rather than chart-based: for example, that graduates may have changed profession or that unemployment reflects their inability to meet job requirements. To strengthen the response, summarise the dominant destinations and compare the salary distributions objectively, while avoiding unsupported explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response follows a generally understandable order: it discusses graduate destinations first and then moves to salaries. This gives the reader a basic sense of how the information is organised. However, the first section reads as a sequence of separate comments on individual percentages, with limited grouping or comparison, and the salary section is very brief. Linking phrases such as “on the other hand” help signal contrast, but connections between related figures are not consistently made. A clearer overview followed by one paragraph comparing destinations and another comparing salary bands would create stronger progression. Also use paragraph breaks and punctuation to separate ideas, particularly where one sentence runs directly into the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “full time job,” “part time jobs,” “postgrad,” “unemployed,” and “government sectors,” so the topic is generally clear. There are also attempts to express interpretation, such as “alarming” and “productive,” although these are not always suitable for an objective chart summary. The range is limited, and several spelling errors—“appretiative,” “persue,” “fullfill,” and “goverment”—are noticeable. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “some other main jobs” and “highest,” which does not specify the salary band being compared. Use accurate terms for employment categories and neutral language for reporting data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences with reasons and subordinate clauses, for example the explanation beginning “5 % are doing part time job with studying.” However, these complex attempts are often difficult to follow because clauses are joined without clear grammatical control. There are recurring problems with articles, plurals, agreement, and sentence boundaries: “52 % of the students are able to get full time job” needs an article before “full-time job,” while “50 % employees … are earning” needs “of employees.” The opening “other 15 %” also begins without a capital letter, and several ideas are run together with full stops or commas missing. Prefer shorter, complete sentences and check agreement and punctuation carefully.

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

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