Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-22

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 provides data about five small companies in Britain that provide the best environment to work. The data presented is taken from a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper.

Overall, the five small companies have higher percentage of staff under 35. Most of these companies have low percentage of staff turnover except company 5 with 33%. First three companies have high percentage of staff in high income bracket.

Fifth small company has the highest staff number of 190 in contrast to first company with the lowest number at 56. Male to female ratio is unbalanced in most companies with the exception of fifth company at51:49 and second company at 47:53. A trend of having higher percentage of staff under the age of 30s is seen in all companies but fourth company has 26%.

Fifth company has high staff turnover at 33% whereas other companies have low turnover. Fifth and fourth company depict 2% and 5% staff in high income bracket in contrast to third company with 74%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data, such as staff numbers, age demographics, and income brackets. You made relevant comparisons, for instance, contrasting the high staff turnover of company 5 with the others. However, the report lacks a clear, cohesive overview of the most striking trends. While you mention some figures, the analysis could be more precise; for example, stating 'first three companies have high percentage' is vague. To reach a higher band, ensure you group data more logically and provide a more comprehensive summary of the key differences between the companies rather than listing them sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'in contrast to' and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be improved. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels abrupt. Additionally, the use of articles is inconsistent (e.g., 'Fifth small company' instead of 'The fifth company'), which occasionally disrupts the logical progression of your points. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'turnover', 'demographics', and 'income bracket'. However, there is a lack of flexibility and precision. You repeat the word 'company' frequently, and there are minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'higher percentage of staff under 35' (which should be 'a higher percentage'). To improve, try to use more varied synonyms for 'company' (e.g., 'firm', 'enterprise', 'organisation') and ensure you use articles correctly with nouns to sound more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar, particularly regarding articles ('the' and 'a'). For example, you write 'Fifth small company' instead of 'The fifth small company' and 'at51:49' (a spacing error). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To achieve a higher band, focus on consistent article usage and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures would also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

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