Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

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.

Overall, the fifth company showed the biggest staff number. In contrast the second company showed the lowest number of staff.

The first compnay, had 56 of the total respondants, the second company 29 respondants, the third one 72 respondatns, the forth company 76 staff number and the fifth company 190 staff.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 87 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you have identified some main features, such as the highest and lowest staff numbers, the analysis is extremely brief and lacks the depth required for an Academic Task 1 response. You have not provided a sufficient overview or made meaningful comparisons between all five companies. To improve, you must expand your description by including more data points, comparing the companies more thoroughly, and ensuring you meet the length requirement to allow for a full development of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is very short, which limits the ability to demonstrate a range of cohesive devices. There is a basic attempt at paragraphing, but the structure is underdeveloped. You use some cohesive markers like 'Overall' and 'In contrast', which helps with the flow, but the progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of detail. To achieve a higher score, you should group information more logically and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences and ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive, relying heavily on the words provided in the prompt. For example, you use 'company' and 'number' multiple times. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'compnay', 'respondants', and 'forth'. To improve, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'figures', 'statistics', 'workforce', or 'personnel', and ensure you check your spelling carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is generally simple, consisting mostly of basic sentence structures. There are some errors in punctuation and phrasing, such as the unnecessary comma in 'The first compnay, had 56...'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of complex sentence structures limits your score. To improve, try to incorporate a mix of simple and complex sentences, and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and punctuation to ensure your writing is more accurate and sophisticated.

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

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