Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

So, as we can see in the given table, which displays the five best small companies to work for, there are five factors through which we can determine which one is the best among these five. Looking at the factors for the 1st company, which has a total of 56 staff members, 70% of the employees are female, while only 30% are male. Moreover, 77% of the staff are under the age of 35, and there are no employees over the age of 55. The staff turnover rate is relatively low, at only 5%, while 34% of the employees are in the high-income bracket.

Moving on to the 2nd company, it has 79 staff members, with a more balanced male-to-female ratio of 47:53. Around 59% of its employees are under 35, while only 1% are over 55. Its staff turnover is considerably higher than that of the first company, at 18%, and almost half of its employees, 48%, are in the high-income bracket.

The 3rd company has 72 employees, of whom 74% are male and 26% are female. It has the highest proportion of younger workers among the first four companies, with 82% under the age of 35 and none over 55. Its staff turnover is 8%, while a significant 74% of employees are in the high-income bracket, which is the second-highest figure in the table.

In comparison, the 4th company has 76 staff members and is predominantly female, with a male-to-female ratio of 13:87. Only 26% of employees are under 35, while 8% are over 55. Its turnover rate stands at 13%, and just 5% of its staff are in the high-income bracket, the lowest percentage among all five companies.

Finally, the 5th company is considerably larger than the others, employing 190 people. It has an almost equal proportion of males and females, at 51% and 49% respectively. It also has the highest percentage of younger employees, at 93%, with no employees over 55. However, its staff turnover is relatively high at 33%, while 93% of its employees are in the high-income bracket, the highest figure in the table.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all five companies presented in the table, selecting and reporting key features such as staff numbers, gender distribution, age brackets, staff turnover rates, and high-income percentages. The student makes relevant comparisons across the data, such as highlighting the 5th company's larger size and comparing the high-income brackets between companies (e.g., 'the second-highest figure' and 'the lowest percentage among all five companies'). While the overview could be stronger and placed at the beginning, the response adequately addresses all parts of the task with well-selected details, aligning closely with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response features a clear overall progression, with each paragraph dedicated to a specific company in sequential order from the 1st to the 5th. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas and transition between sections, such as 'Moving on to the 2nd company' and 'In comparison'. However, paragraphing is somewhat formulaic, as the response relies entirely on a one-paragraph-per-company structure rather than grouping information thematically to enhance comparison, which keeps this criterion at a Band 6.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and appropriate for the task, allowing the student to successfully report numerical data and percentages (e.g., 'proportion', 'turnover rate', 'predominantly female', 'high-income bracket'). There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'proportion', 'considerably', and 'significant'. However, the lexical range lacks flexibility, and some phrases are slightly repetitive (e.g., repeatedly using 'staff members' and 'high-income bracket'), pointing to a Band 6 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses (e.g., 'which has a total of 56 staff members', 'of whom 74% are male') and comparative structures effectively. There is good overall control of grammar and punctuation, and punctuation errors are minimal. Grammatical accuracy is quite high throughout the 350-word text, with only occasional minor slips, which comfortably supports a Band 7 score.

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

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