Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-30

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 6.0)

The table provides the information regarding five micro companies in Britain, that secured top position in survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to find the best companies to work for.

Overall, it is visible that the first company has the least count of employees whereas the fifth company has the highest number of employees. The male to female ratio is near perfect for fith and second companies. While, the other three companies have many variations in the ratio of male to female.

Looking at the table at more depth, fifth company has the more than threefold employees of first company. while the second, third and fourth companies have employees in the range of 70-80. The male to female ratio vary across the companies, where first and fourth company has huge number of females as compared to third, which has more mens.

Turning out to other categories, first company has the best staff turnover rate of 5 percent, followed by third company with 8 percent. The least staff turnover rate is recorded for the fifth company at 33 percent. Nearly, three-fourth proportion of third company comes into the high income bracket, followed by the second company with roughly half of the employees in high earning bracket. In contrast, the fourth and fifth companies have the least staff in high income groups with 5 percent and 2 percent respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all the main features of the table, reporting details such as staff numbers, male-to-female ratios, age distributions, staff turnover, and income brackets. An overview is included, noting the contrast in staff numbers between the first and fifth companies. However, there are some inaccuracies and minor misinterpretations of the data. For example, the student writes that the 'least staff turnover rate is recorded for the fifth company at 33 percent', whereas 33% is actually the highest turnover rate on the table. Similarly, 'more mens' contains a grammatical error and misreads the data trends slightly. Despite these data misinterpretations, the response provides a clear summary with relevant comparisons, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, overview, and specific details into logical blocks. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'Looking at the table at more depth', and 'Turning out to other categories'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'Turning out to other categories' (instead of 'Turning to other categories' or 'Regarding other categories'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but overall progression within paragraphs occasionally stumbles due to phrasing issues. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common collocations and terms such as 'micro companies', 'staff turnover rate', and 'high income bracket'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and word choice errors throughout the text. Examples include 'least count of employees' instead of 'lowest number of employees', 'fith' (spelling error for fifth), 'more mens' (grammatical and lexical awkwardness), and 'high earning bracket' mixed with 'high income groups'. While communication is not impeded and the range is sufficient to convey the main points, these persistent errors prevent the student from reaching Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as subordinate clauses ('whereas the fifth company has the highest number of employees') and participial phrases ('followed by the second company with roughly half of the employees'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, including subject-verb agreement issues ('fourth company has', 'ratio vary'), article errors ('the fifth company has the more than threefold employees', 'the first and fourth company has'), and spelling typos ('fith'). Complex structures are often faulty. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly at Band 5.5.

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

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