Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below gives information about the five small companies in Britain that came top in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to find out which companies are the best to work for.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

THE FIVE BEST SMALL COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The table illustrates information about five small companies in Britain that were ranked as the best employers in a survey counducted among their staff.

Overall, the lowest staff turn over is in 1st ranked country, while the highest in 5th ranked company. Another thing 3rd company had the highest males ratio, while females are highest in 4th company.

Firstly, in terms of staff members 5th company recorded as the highest with 190 employes while the other 4 companies ranged from 56 to 79. Moreover, in terms of male:female ratio highest males dominant company is 3rd company at 74:26 while females ratio are surge in 4th company at 13:87, while other companies had more balanced ratio like: 51:49 , 30:70 and 47:53. however, age wise under 35s and over 55s had a different story with 1st, 3rd and 5th companies having 0% for over 55s and 77%, 82%, 93% being under 35s, while 2nd and 4th comapny had 59/1% and 26/8% ratio.

Moreover, staff turnover recorded highest in 5th company at 33%, while the lowest at 5% in 1st company with 18%, 8% and 13% in other three companies. In contrast, in terms of staff in high income bracket 3rd comapny recorded the largest proportion at 74%, while lowest is in 5th company at just 2%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main categories in the table and give a clear overview of notable contrasts: the fifth-ranked company has the most staff and highest turnover, while the first has the lowest turnover, and the third and fourth have the most strongly male- and female-skewed workforces. Most figures are reported accurately, including the age percentages and high-income proportions. This meets the task well, with some features more fully covered than others. However, the overview could capture the broader pattern that the fifth company combines the largest, youngest workforce with the lowest high-income share. Also, “lowest staff turn over is in 1st ranked country” misidentifies a company as a country. A more complete overview and sharper comparisons would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs grouping workforce characteristics and employment figures. This gives the information a coherent overall arrangement. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “In contrast” help signal the direction of the discussion. At times, however, the connections feel mechanical or unclear. The long sentence beginning “Moreover, in terms of male:female ratio” combines several comparisons, and “while” is repeated without making the relationships easy to follow. The overview also uses “Another thing” as a loose transition. Separate the comparisons into shorter sentences and use clearer references such as “the third-ranked company” to improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “male:female ratio,” “high income bracket,” and “recorded the largest proportion.” These terms allow you to describe the table’s categories and make comparisons. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural choices: “lowest staff turn over” is better expressed as “lowest staff turnover,” and “females ratio are surge” does not convey the comparison naturally. Spelling errors such as “counducted,” “employes,” and “comapny” are noticeable, though the intended meaning is generally clear. Aim for precise collocations and check spelling; for example, use “the proportion of female employees was highest” rather than “females ratio are surge.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons joined with “while” and “although”-like contrasts, and the main information is usually understandable. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the lowest staff turn over is in 1st ranked country, while the highest in 5th ranked company” omits a verb in the second clause and needs articles before the rankings. In “5th company recorded as the highest,” the verb pattern is incomplete; write “the fifth company recorded the highest figure.” The sentence about age groups also has an unclear structure around “having 0% … and 77% … being under 35s.” Use complete clauses, consistent articles, and carefully punctuated shorter sentences to improve accuracy while retaining your range.

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