Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-10

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 5.5)

The given table demonstrates information about different five companies in Britian that came top by a local newspaper held in a survey of staff to find out which companies are the best to work for. Overall, the first company is lowest in staff numbers while fifth is higher in it with nearly same in male female ratio.

At the beginning, the first company has 34% staff in high salary bracket and having 30:70 in male female ratio with only 5% staff turnover. At the next, the second company has 59% staff under 35s with 47:53 in staff ratio and having 79 staff members. Furthermore, the third company has little staff turnover and 82% staff is under 35s age and in contrast to other companies, this third company 74% fraction staff in high income bracket. Additionally, the fourth company has highest in female ratio as compared to male ratio and having 8% staff over 55s. Finally, the fifth company has highest staff members with nearly equal male female ratio and 93% staff age is under 35s while 33% staff turnover with only 2% staff in high income bracket as compared to other companies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant contrasts, including the fifth company’s largest workforce and highest turnover, and the third company’s high-income share. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: the first company has the fewest staff, but the fifth does not have a nearly equal male–female ratio; its ratio is 51:49, while the second is also close at 47:53. Some figures are omitted or misreported: the first company’s 77% under-35 figure is not mentioned, and the second company’s 59% is correctly given but its high-income share is not. The fourth company’s 8% over-55 figure is accurate. Select the main patterns more systematically and compare the companies directly, rather than describing them one by one.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear basic structure: an introductory sentence and overview are followed by a paragraph moving through the companies in survey order. Sequencing words such as “Furthermore,” “Additionally,” and “Finally” help the reader follow this progression. However, the overview is not sufficiently distinct or precise, and the body reads mainly as a list of separate company details rather than a comparison of related features. Some links are mechanical, particularly the repeated “At the…” and “Additionally” transitions, while “in contrast to other companies” does not clearly identify the comparison. Grouping companies by shared patterns—for example, workforce age or turnover—and using clearer comparative references would make the progression more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “high income bracket,” and “male female ratio,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “came top by a local newspaper,” “highest in female ratio,” and “little staff turnover.” “High salary bracket” also varies from the table’s “high income bracket,” which would be clearer and more consistent. Spelling errors such as “Britian” and awkward expressions such as “fraction staff” reduce precision. Build a more accurate set of comparison phrases and collocations, such as “ranked first,” “the highest proportion of female employees,” and “a low turnover rate,” and use them consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including the sentence beginning “Finally,” which combines workforce size, gender balance, age, turnover, and income information. However, control is uneven, and several sentences contain faulty structures that make the relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “the first company is lowest in staff numbers while fifth is higher in it” lacks clear comparative construction and an article, while “the third company 74% fraction staff” is missing a verb and has an incomplete noun phrase. There are also problems with parallel structure in phrases such as “with only 5% staff turnover.” Practise forming complete clauses and accurate comparisons, and separate multiple data points into shorter sentences when needed.

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