Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-03

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 provides a detailed description of five small companies in Britain containing information about a survey of staff, conducted by a national newspaper, and then ranking them in a sequencial order of which companies are the best to work for.

From the survey, it is seen that the 5th company have most number of 190 staffs, followed by the 2nd compay, the 4th company, the 3rd company, and finally the 1st company with only 56 staffs.

The male female ratio suggests that the 4th company has the most female staffs, followed by the 1st company, subsequently the 2nd, the 5th, and finally the 3rd company with the least numbers.

Most young employees under the age 35 tend to work in the 5th company, then the 3rd company, followed by the 1st, then 2nd, and the 4th company in the last position.

The 5th company has the most staff turnover, while the 1st has the least. Rest of the companies with comparatively lower percentage than the 5th.

The 3rd company have more staffs in the high income bracket while 4th have the least.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the table, but the selection of data lacks a fully cohesive strategy for reporting. The student attempts to compare staff numbers, male-to-female ratios, age groups, staff turnover, and high-income brackets across the five companies. However, some comparisons are limited and under-developed. For instance, the comment that the 5th company has the most staff turnover while the 1st has the least is correct, but stating simply that 'Rest of the companies with comparatively lower percentage than the 5th' is vague and misses specific details. Furthermore, the overview is rather mechanical, recounting survey details rather than synthesizing the most striking trends. To reach a higher level, the writer should present a clearer overview of the main differences between the companies, such as the stark contrast in age distribution or income brackets, and support these points with more precise data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure, but lacks clear progression and adequate paragraphing. The entire body of the text is presented as a single block following the introductory sentence, which hinders the logical flow. While the writer attempts to sequence ideas by moving from company sizes to ratios, age distributions, turnover rates, and income brackets, the transitions between sentences feel mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'followed by', 'then', and 'subsequently' are used frequently to list items in rank order, leading to a monotonous structure. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'while 4th have the least' lacks a clear noun reference. To improve, the writer should group related data into distinct paragraphs and employ a wider, more natural variety of cohesive devices to link ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing sufficient terms to describe the table's data, such as 'staff turnover', 'ratio', and 'high income bracket'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices that restrict the score, such as 'sequencial order' (spelling error for sequential), 'most number of 190 staffs' (incorrect use of plural 'staffs'), and 'male female ratio' (missing hyphen). The range of vocabulary is limited, relying heavily on basic descriptors and repetitive phrasing like 'most staffs' and 'least numbers'. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary and demonstrate better control over word forms, pluralisation, and collocation, avoiding awkward phrasing when discussing numerical proportions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic comparative clauses. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause some difficulty for the reader. For example, subject-verb agreement issues are present, such as 'the 5th company have most number' and 'The 3rd company have more staffs', where singular company names are incorrectly paired with the plural verb 'have'. Other errors include missing articles or prepositions, as seen in 'under the age 35' instead of 'under the age of 35' or 'under 35'. Complex sentence attempts are often faulty or incomplete, such as 'Rest of the companies with comparatively lower percentage than the 5th', which lacks a main verb. To improve, the writer must work on basic agreement, article usage, and ensure all sentences contain complete grammatical clauses.

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