Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-12

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 breakdowns the brief details about the company staff, male and female ratio, their age, increasing employees over time and most important factor income.

As we can see that 1st company is having the least number of employees whereas, the 5th company have the highest number of workers across all 5 small companies, however other fall under 80 employees with an average of 75 people. The percentage of male and female staff is highly differentiable, there is a huge gap betwenn 1st company and all 4. 1st company is having more number of female employees then the male. However, 4th company is relatively opposite to the 1st company because it is having more number of male employees then male. Remaining comapnies are having and average of 50%. There is also a great and major effect of age of the workers and they are directly relating to the income bracket also. as we can see that the staff of the 3rd company is majorly depends on the male worker and all are less then under 35 years of age. However the staff turnover is not a great number for 3rd company but majorly they are winning the competition against all 4 companies. We can conclude by making 3rd company more reliable to work for.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to cover the main features of the table, noting details regarding the number of employees, male and female ratios, and income factors. However, the analysis is superficial, confused, and fails to accurately report the specific data points presented in the visual. For instance, the text claims the 1st company has the least number of employees and more females, and mentions other companies vaguely without effectively synthesizing or structuring the information. Additionally, some statements are contradictory or difficult to follow due to poor comprehension of the source data. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a band score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The organization of the response is weak. It begins with an inappropriate introductory paragraph that tries to describe the table rather than effectively paraphrasing the prompt. The body of the text lacks clear logical progression, jumping between different companies and metrics without a coherent narrative or effective paragraphing (the text is lumped into a single dense body paragraph after the intro). Cohesive devices are either missing, repetitive, or inaccurate, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of information. Referencing is also unclear in places, such as when referring to 'other fall under 80 employees' and 'all 4'. This corresponds to a band score of 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with limited control over precise terminology relevant to data reports. Phrases like 'breakdowns the brief details', 'highly differentiable', and 'most important factor income' show awkward collocation and word choice. There are also clear lexical errors and non-standard expressions, such as 'more number of female employees then the male' and 'directly relating to the income bracket also'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey a rudimentary message, it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands, placing it firmly at a band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is limited, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly constructed complex sentences that frequently contain errors. Examples of structural and grammatical faults include 'As we can see that 1st company is having', 'other fall under 80 employees', and 'all are less then under 35 years of age'. Furthermore, confusion between comparative structures ('more number of male employees then male') and spelling/word form errors ('comapnies') are present. These frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader and impede smooth comprehension, leading to a band score of 5.0.

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

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