Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-04

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 a detailed breakdown of the five best small copanies to work for in Britain in the various aspects ( staff numbers, male:female ratio, under 35s/ over 55s, staff turnover and staff in high income bracket).

Overall, the highest number of employees were in the 5th company, whereas the least number of staffs were in 1st company. The 5th company remained dominant to others in all aspects except the staff in high income bracket.

The staff numbers were more in the 5th company, 190 engaging in it, compared to only 56 in 1st company. The male:female ratio was highest in the 3rd company which represented 74:26, while in the 4th company it was only 13:87.

Furthermore, the staff in high income bracket were more likely in the 3rd company with 74%, in compared to only 2% in the 5th company. The staff turnover rate was more in 5th company with almost 33% whereas the lowest proportion was only 5% in the 1st company. The working staffs under 35s were highest in the 5th company, accounted for 93%, followed by 82% in the 3rd company and the least in the 4th company which was only 26%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview and reporting the main features of the five companies across various categories. The overview highlights key extremes, such as the highest staff numbers in the fifth company and the lowest in the first, demonstrating a clear attempt to summarise the data. However, certain aspects are developed more fully than others; for instance, the comparison regarding the high-income bracket highlights the third and fifth companies effectively, but other columns in the table receive less detailed integration. The data cited is generally accurate according to the visual source, meeting the requirements for a partial step into higher bands while remaining firmly anchored in the mid-range descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response displays a coherent overall arrangement, with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and subsequent body paragraphs grouping related data points. Information flows logically from staff numbers to ratios, income brackets, turnover, and age distribution. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Furthermore', 'whereas', and 'compared to', though referencing is occasionally mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to structure the analysis. To reach higher bands, the logical progression between sentences could be smoothed further, avoiding a checklist-like feel when transitioning from one data category to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate to communicate the main features of the table, making use of terms such as 'proportion', 'ratio', and 'turnover rate'. However, there are notable spelling errors, such as 'copanies' instead of 'companies', and awkward phrasing like 'the least number of staffs were in 1st company' (staff being a plural noun here) and 'engaging in it'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are somewhat restricted, and lexical choices remain relatively basic. To improve, the writer needs to enhance word-form control, eliminate spelling slips, and adopt more natural collocations for reporting statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'compared to only 56 in 1st company' and 'which represented 74:26'). There are some grammatical errors, such as the misuse of articles ('in the 5th company') and slight prepositional awkwardness like 'in compared to'. However, these errors do not impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout. Punctuation is generally sound. To achieve a higher band, the writer should aim for a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and finer control over article usage.

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