Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-28

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 4.0)

The table 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.

The table has five best small companies to work for there are some survey such as staff number, male;femaleratio, under35s/over 55s , staff turnover, staff in high income bracket, in this table there are some higher and lower number

However, there are some position in survey which is high value first of all, in staff number 1* is 56, 2*has 76, 3*is 72 , 4* 76, 5* 190

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response is severely under-length, containing only 103 words against the required minimum of 150 words. While the student successfully copies the introductory sentence from the prompt, the selection of main features is extremely limited and poorly structured. The candidate attempts to list some categories from the table (such as 'staff number, male;female ratio, under35s/over 55s'), but fails to provide a meaningful overview or draw significant comparisons between the five companies. Furthermore, some of the data reported contains inaccuracies, such as mixing up positions and values (e.g., stating 'in staff number 1* is 56, 2*has 76, 3*is 72 , 4* 76, 5* 190' where the second position figure in the student's text actually misreads or misrepresents the data). Because the response fails to meet the word count requirement and only touches upon the data minimally, it falls into Band 4.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text lacks clear overall organization and logical progression. The response consists of an introduction followed by two very short, disjointed paragraphs. There is a complete lack of paragraphing coherence, and the second paragraph forms a run-on list of fragmented thoughts without proper logical links or transitions. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, such as the awkward transition 'However, there are some position in survey which is high value first of all'. Referencing is unclear, and the mechanical listing of data points results in a lack of flow. This level of organization reflects Band 4.0 descriptors, where information is not arranged coherently.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and heavily relies on copying words directly from the prompt ('table', 'five small companies', 'survey', 'staff'). The candidate attempts some less common terms like 'male;female ratio' and 'staff turnover', but errors in word formation, spelling, and punctuation (e.g., 'male;femaleratio', 'under35s', '1*') restrict the lexical range. There is a lack of precision, and the limited vocabulary causes strain for the reader. This performance aligns with Band 4.0, where vocabulary is basic and repetitive, and errors in spelling and word choice are frequent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting mostly of simple clauses joined by weak punctuation or run-on structures. For instance, sentences like 'The table has five best small companies to work for there are some survey such as staff number...' demonstrate comma splices and a lack of control over complex sentence forms. Grammatical errors are frequent, including missing prepositions, incorrect verb forms, and poor punctuation. These errors frequently impede communication and make the text difficult to parse. This corresponds to Band 4.0, where grammar and punctuation errors are frequent and distort meaning.

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

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