Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-23

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 6.5)

The table shows the information of staff, in five small organizations that exist in Britain. It was composed by the national newspaper to provide information on the most suitable organization to work in.

Overall, the best company had the least staff members, with the 5th best having the most staff and the lowest number of staff receiving a high wage. Consequently, adults who are under 35years of age were dominate across all 5 companies.

From the information provided, the best firm have 56 staff members, which was the least number of staff followed by the 2nd best at 79. The 3rd, 4th and 5th companies had 72, 76, and 190 workers respectively. However, the ratio of male to female workers was found to be 30:70, 47:53 and 74:26 for the best, 2nd and 3rd best small group respectively, whereas the 4th and 5th organizations had a ratio of 13:87 and 51:49 each.

Furthermore, all 5 groups had workers who are under 35years of age, with no employee over 55years except for the 2nd best who had 1% and the 4th best company who had 8% of workers above 55years. Staff turnover was largest for the 5th best organization with 33% and least for the best company with 5%. However, the 3rd best company had about 74% of workers earning a huge wage, followed by the 2nd best with 48%, the 5th best establishment had the least with 2% receiving high salaries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the table, including staff numbers, gender ratios, age demographics, and turnover rates. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the inverse relationship between company size and ranking, and the prevalence of younger workers. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for example, stating that the best company had the 'least staff members' is correct, but the claim that the 5th best had the 'most staff' is also correct, yet the statement that the lowest number of staff received a high wage is not supported by the data (the 5th best company actually had the lowest percentage of high-wage earners). Ensure your summary accurately reflects the data provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on different data sets. The progression of ideas is generally clear. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. The structure is sufficient to guide the reader through the information, but more varied cohesive devices would improve the flow and coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'establishment', 'turnover', and 'demographics' appropriately. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'dominate' instead of 'dominant' and 'huge wage' which is slightly informal for an academic report. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band. Expanding your range of academic collocations would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the best firm have', 'adults... were dominate') and minor punctuation errors. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent verb forms and correct word endings. The variety of structures is acceptable, but more complex, error-free sentences would be necessary to reach a higher band score.

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.