Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22

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 8.0)

The table provides information about the five highest-ranking small companies in Britain, based on a survey of their staff. It compares the companies in terms of the number of employees, gender distribution, age groups, staff turnover and the proportion of employees in the high-income bracket.

Overall, the companies vary considerably in terms of their workforce characteristics. The third-ranked company has the highest proportion of high-income employees, while the fifth-ranked company has the highest staff turnover. The fourth company has the largest proportion of female employees and the oldest workforce.

The number of employees ranges from 56 in the first-ranked company to 190 in the fifth. In terms of gender, the fourth company has a particularly high proportion of women, at 87%, compared with only 13% men. By contrast, the third company has the highest percentage of male employees, at 74%. The other three companies have relatively balanced gender ratios, although women still form the majority in the first and fifth companies.

Regarding age, the fifth company has the youngest workforce, with 93% of its staff under 35, while the fourth has the smallest proportion of young employees, at 26%. It is also the only company where a notable percentage of staff are over 55, at 8%. The remaining companies have between 59% and 82% of employees under 35.

Finally, staff turnover is lowest in the first company, at just 5%, followed by the third at 8%. The fifth company has by far the highest turnover, at 33%. The proportion of high-income staff is greatest in the third company (74%), followed by the second (48%), whereas the fourth and fifth have much lower figures of 5% and 2%, respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully satisfies all requirements of Task 1 by providing a clear and comprehensive overview of the table comparing five small companies. The writer successfully highlights key features and makes relevant comparisons across multiple categories, such as staff numbers, gender distribution, age groups, staff turnover, and high-income brackets. For instance, the accurate identification that the third-ranked company has the highest proportion of high-income employees (74%) and that the fifth-ranked company has the highest staff turnover (33%) demonstrates a strong understanding of the data. The overview effectively summarises the main trends without getting bogged down in unnecessary raw data, reflecting the descriptors for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression from a general introduction and overview to detailed body paragraphs examining specific metrics like employee numbers, gender ratios, age breakdown, turnover, and income brackets. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, and cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Regarding age', and 'Finally' are used naturally to link ideas and guide the reader smoothly through the comparison. Paragraphing is used appropriately and effectively to chunk related information, meeting the criteria for a high level of coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a wide and flexible vocabulary range suited to an academic report. Phrases such as 'gender distribution', 'workforce characteristics', 'proportion of female employees', and 'staff turnover' show precise lexical control. Word choices are natural and appropriate for reporting statistical data. There are no noticeable inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, reflecting solid control over less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response features a wide range of sentence structures, combining complex and compound sentences fluently and accurately. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, with excellent control over punctuation and syntactic structures. For example, clauses introduced by participles and comparative constructions ('ranging from 56 in the first-ranked company to 190 in the fifth') are handled with precision. Grammatical accuracy is maintained throughout the entire text, fully justifying a top-tier band score for this criterion.

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