Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-12

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 top five small companies in Britain to work for on the basis of five distinct criteria. These companies are based on a survey conducted by a national newspaper. From an overall perspective, it is apparent that fifth company that the highest number of employees and gender balance while very few of them are in high income bracket. On contrary, company 3 has majority of its employees in high income bracket.

Company 5 is the company is ahed of all the other companies in terms of number of employees (190) followed by 2nd, 4th, 3rd and 1st having 79, 76, 72 and 56 staff members respectively. It also has best Gender balance in its workforce with 51% percent males and 49% of females. It also has highest workforce below the age of 35 and no employee older than 55 years.

On the contrary, company 1 has the lowest staff turnover ratio followed by company 3rd, 4th, 2nd and 5th standing at 8%, 13%, 18% and 33% respectively. Alternatively, Company 3 has nearly 74% of its workforce in High income bracket which is higher than all the others followed by 2nd, 1st, 4th and 5th.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the data, including staff numbers, gender balance, age, turnover, and income brackets. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as Company 5's size and Company 3's high-income focus. However, the overview is slightly confusing; for instance, the phrase 'fifth company that the highest number of employees' is grammatically incomplete, and the summary of the income bracket is slightly inaccurate based on the data provided. To improve, ensure your overview clearly synthesizes the most significant trends without needing to list every specific figure, which is better suited for the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction and body sections. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the contrary' and 'Alternatively' to transition between ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'On contrary' (missing 'the') and the repetitive use of 'Company X' to start sentences. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression of ideas could be smoother if you used a wider variety of linking words to connect the comparisons more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'workforce', 'turnover ratio', and 'high income bracket'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'ahed' (spelling error for 'ahead') and '51% percent' (redundant use of the symbol and the word). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band. Focusing on more varied collocations and ensuring accurate spelling will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use comparative structures, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the highest number'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Company 5 is the company is ahed'), and punctuation errors. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the data. To reach a higher band, you should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed without errors in articles or prepositions.

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

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