Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-06

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 shows data on five small British companies and ranked highest in the in a staff survey on the best places to work, comparatively to staff numbers,, gender ratio, age profile, staff turnover and income level.

Overall staff number and gender balanevaried considerably within the companies, while top ranked items stood out for combining low staff turnover with a young workforce.

In term of size fifth place comoany was larger having 190 staff members, more than the three times the number at the top company(56). The gender split also differ remarkbly. whereas, the third ranked company has a strong male dominant workforce(74:36). Besides this, the fifth ranked company is more evenly(51:49).

Regarding age the fifth pla e company has the highest proportion of under -35s(93%) and no staff over 55s.Similar to th top three companies, none of whoch had more than 1%staff over 55.

Staff turnover was lower at the top company (5%) and highest at the second ranked company (18T%). Meanwhile, the proportion of the staffin the highest income bracktet rose steadily from first to third place, peaking at 74% for the third company.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided relevant comparisons, such as contrasting the staff numbers of the first and fifth companies and noting the age distribution. However, the response is slightly hampered by a lack of precision in reporting some figures. For example, you mention '18T%' for turnover, which is a typographical error, and the comparison of gender ratios could be clearer. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are transcribed accurately and that the overview clearly synthesizes the most significant trends rather than just listing details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an overview to specific details about size, gender, age, and turnover. You use some cohesive devices like 'In term of size', 'Besides this', and 'Meanwhile' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'In term of size fifth place comoany was larger'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall progression of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'workforce', and 'bracket'. However, there are several spelling errors ('balanevaried', 'comoany', 'remarkbly', 'pla e', 'whoch', 'bracktet') and some awkward collocations. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, though they do not fully impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading your work to eliminate basic spelling mistakes and try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated' or 'accounted for'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('at the top company'), incorrect prepositions, and punctuation issues. For instance, 'more than the three times the number' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning remains generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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