Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-04

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 demonstrates about anthropology graduates what did after completing their undergraduate degree course from one universty.While, the table illustrates the income of the anthropologists in work after five years.

Overall, it is evident from the chart that majority of graduates did full-time work.According to table,the salaries anthropologist's graduates in government sector is greater in [redacted phone]$ about 50%.

To start, there were 50% graduates did full time work. and these were the highest ratio among all destinations.Next, there were 15% graduates who did part-time work. Next,there were 5% students who did part-time work and postgrad study.Moreover, there were 8% students who did full -time postgrad study and also who was not known.In last, there were 12% unemployed graduate.

In the table, in the freelance consultants department, 5% graduates whose salary vary from $[redacted phone]9.Then 15%'s salary ranged about $[redacted phone]9. And, there were 40% graduates whose value vary from $[redacted phone]9 and also from $[redacted phone] above.

Next Government sector, there also 5% graduates salary vary from $[redacted phone]9.There were 15% and 30% graduates salary vary from $[redacted phone]9 and $[redacted phone]9. 50% graduades salary upto $[redacted phone].

In private companies,there were 10% and 35% students whose salary was $[redacted phone]9 and $[redacted phone]9.And 25% and 30%'s salary was $[redacted phone]9 and $[redacted phone]+.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover both visuals and identify the main destination, noting that full-time work was the largest category. Most table figures are also reported accurately, including the 40% and 50% shares in the higher salary bands for freelance consultants and government employees. However, the chart’s full-time-work figure is 52%, not 50%, and you incorrectly say that 8% were both in full-time postgraduate study and “not known”; these are two separate categories, each at 8%. The overview is limited: it singles out government salaries above $100,000 but does not summarise the broader salary pattern, such as government having the largest top-band share and private-company employees being more concentrated in the $50,000–74,999 band. More accurate selection and comparison would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph about graduate destinations and separate discussion of the three employment sectors. This helps the reader locate the information. However, progression within the paragraphs is often mechanical, with repeated sequencing words such as “Next” and repeated openings such as “there were.” Some links are unclear: “and also who was not known” makes two distinct 8% categories sound like one, while “In last” does not clearly signal the final category. The table discussion lists figures one by one rather than grouping salary bands to make comparisons. Use clearer topic sentences and connect related figures—for example, compare the proportions earning $100,000 or more across the three sectors—to create a more logical flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “full-time work,” “postgrad study,” “unemployed,” “freelance consultants” and “government sector,” so the reader can generally understand the categories being described. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated or imprecise, such as “there were … graduates” and “salary vary.” Some choices are not natural for describing data: “highest ratio” is better expressed as “largest proportion,” and “the salaries anthropologist's graduates” is difficult to interpret. There are also spelling and form errors, including “universty” and “graduades.” Aim for precise reporting verbs and collocations, and check spelling and apostrophes. This would make the description clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer structures, including “who did part-time work and postgrad study,” and use past-tense forms to describe the graduates’ destinations. However, sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently, sometimes making relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “about anthropology graduates what did after” has incorrect word order, while “there were 50% graduates did full time work” lacks a grammatical link between the percentage and the action. Agreement and verb forms are also problematic in “the salaries … is greater” and “whose salary vary.” Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and sentence fragments such as “Next Government sector.” Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled relative clauses and comparisons.

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.