Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-28
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 what Anthropology graduates from a specific university did after finishing their undergraduate degree course and the table below illustrates the earnings of the anthropologists in work after five years period.
Overall, maximum number of Anthropology graduates got full time work. And very few of them did unknown work.
In detail, 52% of Anthropology graduates did full time work. 15% of them did part time jobs. Many graduates did part time work+ postgrad study and full time postgrad study and the percentage were 5% and 8% respectively. 12% of those remained unemployed and 8% of those students work were not known.
Moving onto salaries, about 40% of Anthropologists who were freelance consultants earned $100,000+ and 50% of those who worked in the government sector earned $100,000+. On the other hand,30% of private companies sector workers earned $100,000+; which is the lowest sector where anthropology graduates earned $100,000+ monthly.
In conclusion, most of the private companies employees earned 100,000$+ roughly but those who worked in the government sector earned 100,000$+ easily.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main destination, correctly reporting that full-time work was the largest category at 52%, and you include figures for all six outcomes. You also compare the $100,000+ salary group across the three employment types. However, the overview is incomplete: “very few of them did unknown work” is unclear and does not capture the other major outcomes, while the salary discussion omits the lower salary bands, which show useful contrasts, especially the private-company peak of 35% at $50,000–74,999. The conclusion also incorrectly says most private-company employees earned $100,000+, although this was 30%, and “easily” is unsupported. Select and summarise the key patterns more accurately, rather than repeating or misinterpreting a single salary band.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, details about graduate destinations, and a salary paragraph. Phrases such as “In detail” and “Moving onto salaries” help signal the shift between the two visuals. However, progression is weakened by the brief, under-informative overview and by the final conclusion, which repeats the $100,000+ comparison and contradicts the earlier figures. Some connections are also awkward: “And very few of them did unknown work” is not clearly linked to the preceding point, and “On the other hand” does not introduce a clear contrast. Organise the salary information around the main comparisons across all bands, and use linking phrases only when the relationship between ideas is clear.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “graduates,” “unemployed,” “freelance consultants,” and “government sector,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Did unknown work” misrepresents the chart’s “not known” category, while “earned $100,000+ easily” is informal and does not describe the data precisely. “After five years period” and “private companies sector workers” are also awkward collocations. Aim for concise, standard report language such as “their destinations were not known,” “after five years of employment,” and “employees of private companies.” Avoid adding evaluative wording that the chart does not support.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Most of your meaning can be understood, and you attempt both simple statements and longer sentences. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles, and punctuation. The opening, “The pie chart what Anthropology graduates…,” is not a complete grammatical clause; use “The pie chart shows what…”. In “the percentage were 5% and 8%,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “the percentage” should also be plural. “30% of private companies sector workers earned…” is missing a possessive or article structure, while the semicolon before “which” is incorrectly used. Practise accurate complex sentences and check each clause for a clear subject and verb, as well as punctuation.
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