Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-11

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 4.5)

The table show that five small company work for best . The first company has the 56 staff member and its male female ratio is 30. 70 . About the 35 percent the age was 35s and the over 55s . The staff turnover is 5 percent and their staff high income bracket is 34 percent . The second company staff number is 79 and their male female ratio is 47.53 . In company the 59 percent is under the 59 percent and over 55 is 1 percent .The staff turnover is 18 percent and high income bracket is 48 percent .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. Furthermore, the content is incomplete; it only describes two of the five companies listed in the table. There is no overview provided, and the comparisons between the companies are very limited. To improve, you must ensure you cover all data points provided in the prompt and include a clear summary of the main trends or features. The current response is too brief to adequately address the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response lacks a clear structure. There is no paragraphing, and the information is presented as a list of disjointed facts rather than a cohesive report. Cohesive devices are almost entirely absent, making the text difficult to follow. To improve, you should group related information into paragraphs (e.g., one for company details, one for comparisons) and use linking words like 'whereas', 'in contrast', or 'similarly' to connect your ideas logically.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple phrasing such as 'The first company has' and 'The second company staff number is'. There is little attempt to use academic vocabulary or precise terminology related to data description. Additionally, there are errors in word choice and phrasing, such as '56 staff member' (should be plural) and '35s' (unclear). You need to expand your range of vocabulary to include terms like 'proportion', 'percentage', 'workforce', and 'turnover rate'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammar is frequently inaccurate, which often impedes communication. There are consistent errors with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The table show'), pluralization (e.g., '56 staff member'), and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragmented or lack necessary articles and prepositions. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple, repetitive sentences. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that you use articles correctly when discussing data.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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