Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-13

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)

There is a table presenting data of a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper, featuring top five small companies in Britain that are best to work for.

The companies are ranked from 1 to 5 based on five features including: staff number, male and female ratio, ratio of staff aged under 35s and over 55s, staff turnover and staff in high income bracket. Overall, the company on 5th position has the highest staff turnover rate of 33% , as well as, the highest number of employees, that is 190, of which 51% are male, 93% are aged and 2% have high income. Conversely, the first company has the lowest staff numbers with lowest turnover rate, but interestingly, 34% of them are in high paying-scale which is much more than the 5th one. Also, this company has more female and young employees with no aged ones.

The the number of workers in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th are almost near to each other. The 2nd and 3rd companies have high portion of young employees with few or no senior workers and the first two highest percentages of high paying staffs. But the 3rd company has the second lowest turnover rate along with less quantity of female staffs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the table well, reporting key data points such as staff numbers, male/female ratios, age distribution, turnover rates, and high-income brackets. The candidate makes relevant comparisons across the five companies, such as contrasting the 5th company with the 1st regarding staff turnover and high-income percentages. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific figures; for instance, stating that 93% are aged in the 5th company misinterprets the data, which actually refers to staff aged under 35s and over 55s combined or distinct categories. Despite minor data interpretation slips, all parts of the prompt are addressed, and a clear overview of the main features is provided, placing this performance at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by body details, and concluding with further comparisons. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Conversely', and 'Also', though some referencing is slightly clunky or mechanical ('The the number', 'The 2nd and 3rd companies'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to structure the information. While the progression is generally clear, occasional awkward phrasing in transitions prevents the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the organizational structure meets the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'turnover', 'proportion', 'bracket', and 'ratio'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as 'aged' instead of a specific age group, or 'high paying-scale'. Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical infelicities do not impede communication. The lexical resource is sufficient to convey the main features of the data, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and comparative structures (e.g., 'the company on 5th position has the highest staff turnover rate of 33% , as well as, the highest number of employees'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'The the number of workers in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th are almost near to each other' and punctuation slips (unnecessary commas). However, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout, justifying a Band 6.0 score.

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

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