Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-29

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)

The table illustrates result of a survey of employees conducted by a national newspaper which provides data about the five best small firms to work for in the United Kingdom.

Overall, the table provides information about the number of employees, male and female ratio, percentage of young and old employees, staff churn rate, and number of employees falling in the high income bracket. It is evident that there is no similar trend except higher proportion of staff under the age of 35 in all the five companies.

The staff strength was highest in the company ranking fifth with 190 employees, followed by closely company ranking second and fourth at 79 and 76 respectively. The third-ranked company had 72 employees, while the company ranked first with just 56 employees had the lowest number of staff.

The male and female ratio varied across all the five companies. The first and fourth companies had higher female ratio.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response covers the main parts of the task by introducing the data and attempting an overview, followed by specific details regarding staff numbers and the male-to-female ratio. However, the student's overview states that there is no similar trend except for a higher proportion of staff under 35, which misses other significant comparisons and features. Furthermore, the body paragraphs are incomplete; after discussing staff numbers and mentioning the gender ratio for the first and fourth companies, the response abruptly stops, leaving out the second, third, and fifth companies for several categories, as well as staff turnover and high income bracket data. Because the reporting of information is incomplete and cuts off, the task is only partially addressed, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and a general overview, followed by body paragraphs addressing specific metrics. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well in the opening sections (e.g., 'Overall', 'It is evident that', 'followed by closely company'). However, because the text stops prematurely in the middle of describing the gender ratios, the overall progression is halted and incomplete. Paragraphing is attempted appropriately, but the lack of completion prevents a higher score. This level of organisation aligns with a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'churn rate', and 'bracket'. There are some awkward phrasings, such as 'followed by closely company ranking second', where word order is inaccurate. Spelling and word choice are generally clear enough not to impede communication, but the limited development of the response restricts the variety of lexical items displayed. This falls under Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The table illustrates result of a survey...' and 'The staff strength was highest in the company ranking fifth with 190 employees...'. There are a few grammatical errors, most notably a missing article in 'illustrates result' and unnatural word order in 'followed by closely company'. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the sentences constructed are mostly clear and understandable. The grammatical control shown is consistent with a Band 6.0.

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