Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-17

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 7.5)

The table gives information about five small companies in Britain that were ranked as the best places to work. It compares staff numbers, gender ratio, age groups, staff turnover and the percentage of employees in the high-income bracket.

Overall, the fifth company had the largest number of employees and the highest staff turnover. The first company had the lowest turnover. The third company had the highest proportion of high-income staff, while the fourth had the highest percentage of female workers.

The number of employees ranged from 56 in the first company to 190 in the fifth. The male-to-female ratio was highest in the third company, at 74:26, whereas the fourth had the highest proportion of women, at 87%.

Regarding age, the fifth company had the highest percentage of workers under 35, at 93%, followed by the third company at 82%. Staff turnover was 5% in the first company, compared with 33% in the fifth.

Finally, the third company had the largest proportion of high-income employees, at 74%, while the fifth had only 2%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student has successfully covered all key features of the table, selecting and reporting the most significant data points such as staff numbers, gender ratios, age brackets, staff turnover, and income brackets. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the main extremes across the five companies. Data is accurately cited from the table, for instance noting the staff numbers ranging from 56 in the first company to 190 in the fifth, and correctly identifying the highest and lowest points. The response meets all the requirements of Academic Task 1 effectively, demonstrating a clear overview and strong selection of supporting details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement and an overview, followed by well-structured body paragraphs that break down the specific metrics. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to connect ideas and make comparisons, such as 'Overall,' 'whereas,' and 'Regarding age,'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the data. Referencing is clear throughout, making the text easy to follow without any confusing leaps in logic.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to describing statistical data and tables. Phrases like 'ranked as the best places to work', 'proportion of high-income staff', 'male-to-female ratio', and 'staff turnover' are used accurately. There is some flexibility in substituting terms, such as using 'proportion' and 'percentage'. Word choices and collocations are natural, and there are no spelling errors or lexical slips that impede communication. While it stops short of advanced, highly sophisticated academic vocabulary, the lexical resource is fully sufficient for Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The writer demonstrates good control of a variety of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms successfully. Examples include comparative structures ('The number of employees ranged from 56... to 190...') and subordinate clauses ('while the fifth had only 2%'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation and grammar are well-managed throughout. There are no systemic errors or awkward phrasings that hinder comprehension. The structural control displayed is consistent with a solid Band 7 performance.

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