Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-01

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 illustrates five different categories of information regarding the staff of the top five smallest companies to work for in Britain. Interestingy, the company ranked first showcased the lowest staff number and staff turnover rate. Conversely, the company ranked last displayed the highest staff number and staff turnover rate.

The company that came first in the ranking has the least amount of staff of around 56 employees. The second, third and fourth ranked companies share similar staff numbers of 79, 72 and 76 respectively. The fifth rank company the most number of employees, a staggering 190 in number. Moreover, staff turnover of only 5% is observed for the first in rank. While the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th has values of 18%, 8%, 13% and 33% respectively. So the last in rank also showcases the greatest staff turnover.

Additionally the company ranked third has the highest high income staff as well as male to female ratio of 74% and 74:26 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the table, such as the correlation between company rank and staff size/turnover. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with specific data. However, the response is somewhat incomplete; you only mentioned the third-ranked company in the final paragraph, ignoring the other companies' data regarding high-income staff and gender ratios. To achieve a higher band, ensure you compare all categories across all five companies rather than selecting only one to highlight. The report is accurate, but the selection of data for the final paragraph feels arbitrary and lacks a comprehensive comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding observation. You use cohesive devices such as 'conversely', 'moreover', and 'additionally' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by grouping the data more effectively. For instance, the second paragraph is quite dense with figures; breaking this down or structuring it by category (e.g., staff numbers vs. turnover) would improve the flow. Referencing is generally clear, though the final paragraph feels disconnected from the rest of the analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'turnover rate', 'staggering', and 'proportion'. There are some minor issues with word choice and phrasing, such as 'the fifth rank company the most number of employees', which is grammatically incomplete. You also use 'high income staff' which is a bit informal. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure that your vocabulary choices are consistently accurate. The range is sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'The fifth rank company the most number of employees' is missing a verb. Additionally, 'While the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th has values of...' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('has' should be 'have'). Punctuation is generally fine, but ensure you proofread for missing verbs and pluralization errors. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you reach a higher band.

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

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