Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-08
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 table shows a survey report, conducted by a national newspaper to collect the information about small companies in Britain.
Overall, five companies were found best to work for, according to a survey conducted based on 5 categories, including number of staff, male and female ratio, age of employees, staff turnover, and number of staff offered with a high income.
The top most company had only 56 staff members and majority were under the age of 35, and comprised of 70% of female staff. In addition, 34% employees were getting high income, and turn over was reported only 5
%. The second positioned company had 79 employees, 59% were under age of 35, with slightly more female staff than the man. They had more salaried staff than the top category but the turn over was greater with 18%. Moreover, the third company had 72 employees with dominant male staff, and 82% were under the age of 35. The had greatest number of high income staff with tern over of 74%. The second last company, had 74 staff members with majority of female, and only 26% staff were under the age of 35. They had small proportion of high
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to complete the task as it is unfinished, cutting off mid-sentence in the final paragraph. While you successfully identified the main features and categories, the lack of a conclusion and the incomplete description of the final two companies significantly impact the score. To improve, ensure you allocate enough time to cover all data points provided in the table. You should aim to synthesize the information rather than listing it company by company, focusing on key trends and notable comparisons, such as the inverse relationship between staff turnover and company size or income levels.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression is interrupted by the abrupt ending. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'The second positioned company', but these are sometimes used mechanically. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'The second last company', which is not standard academic phrasing. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words to show relationships between the data points and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, completed thought before moving to the next.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'survey report', 'proportion', and 'turnover'. However, there are several errors in word choice and spelling that hinder clarity, such as 'tern over' instead of 'turnover' and 'more female staff than the man' instead of 'more female staff than male staff'. Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'top most company'. To reach a higher band, focus on using precise terminology for data description and ensure you proofread for spelling errors and correct collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the age of 35'), incorrect preposition usage, and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'The had greatest number'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the incomplete final sentence leaves the grammar unresolved. To improve, practice identifying and correcting basic errors in articles and prepositions. Additionally, try to vary your sentence structure by using more complex clauses to describe the comparisons between the companies, while ensuring that the subject and verb remain in agreement.
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.