Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-09

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 5.0)

This table illustrates about the five small companies in Britain that came up top in a survey conducted by a national newspaper to find out which companies are the best to work for.

Overall, the top position company had just 56 staff members dominated with female members about 70 percent and remaining 30 percent of the population are male. They only hired people with age under 55. Staff turnover is also very low as compared to other companies with just 5%. In addition to that they also give high income around 34% to their staff members.

Followed by 2nd and 3rd position companies they had around 79 and 73 staff numbers respectively. The ratio of male and female are 47:53 and 74:26 respectively. 3rd position company like 1st position they didn't hire people with age above 55s while 2nd position company hired just 1 individual above 55. Staff turnover is considerably high in 2nd position company as compared to 1 and 3 with 18% staff turnover. However, Position 5th contains the most amount of staff numbers which is 190 and people under 35s are surged in this company with 93%.

To conclude this, 1st company had relatively low staff members then other companies while position 5th company record the highest with 190 staff numbers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the table’s subject and report several relevant comparisons, including the first-ranked company’s 56 employees and 5% turnover, and the fifth-ranked company’s 190 employees and 93% under-35 staff. However, the response only partially selects and summarises the main features. The overview focuses heavily on the first company and repeats the staff-number contrast in the conclusion, while important patterns are omitted: the third company has the highest proportion in the high-income bracket (74%), and the fourth has the lowest (5%) and the largest share of over-55s (8%). There is also a factual misreading in saying the first company hired only people under 55; the table shows no staff over 55, not that all staff were under 55. Develop a balanced overview and report the most notable contrasts accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, a paragraph about the top-ranked company, a comparison of the second and third, and a concluding statement. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Followed by” and “However” attempt to connect ideas. Nevertheless, progression is uneven: the second and third companies are discussed alongside the fifth, while the fourth is omitted, and the conclusion largely repeats the staff-number point already made. Some linking is awkward or unclear, including “Followed by 2nd and 3rd position companies” and “To conclude this.” Group the companies or features more systematically, use clear comparisons between paragraphs, and avoid repeating information so the summary develops logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the basic subject, including “staff turnover,” “ratio,” “high income,” and “staff members.” There are also attempts at more descriptive wording, such as “dominated” and “considerably high.” However, the range is limited and several choices or combinations sound unnatural or imprecise: “came up top,” “the most amount of staff numbers,” and “people under 35s are surged.” “Population” is also not the most suitable term for employees in a company. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less clear, even though the main comparisons can generally be understood. Aim for precise table-reporting language, such as “ranked first,” “had the largest workforce,” and “the proportion of employees under 35 was highest.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the reader can usually understand the main points. However, grammatical errors are frequent, and attempts to combine several ideas often produce faulty structures. For example, “the top position company had just 56 staff members dominated with female members” lacks a clear grammatical connection, while “The ratio of male and female are 47:53 and 74:26” has subject–verb disagreement. Other problems include “they didn't hire people with age above 55s” and “company record the highest,” where the sentence patterns and verb forms are not controlled. Use shorter, complete sentences when presenting figures, check singular/plural agreement, and practise accurate comparative structures such as “The second company had more staff than the first.”

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