Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-05

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 5.0)

The table provides data of 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 5th company has the highest number of staff. The 1st company has the least number of staff. And the male to female ratio is desirable in the 5th comapny, in comparison with the other companies. The male to female ratio in 3rd company is more men staff and less women staff. where, the 4th company has most number of women employees and least number of men employees.

The 5th company has hired young individuals which means more productivity, but they have the highest staff turnover which means they need to work on their company culture. Whereas, 1st company has the least staff turnover rate. Also, 5th company has the lowest income bracket. While, the 3rd company has most number of staff in high income bracket.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response sits at this band because the length requirement is not met, as the text contains 131 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum (29 words copied from the task prompt were not counted). While the writer attempts to present some key features from the table, such as the highest and lowest staff numbers and staff turnover rates, the information is only partially addressed. Some details are inaccurate or lack sufficient development, such as the claim about the 'lowest income bracket' for the fifth company, which misinterprets the data regarding high-income earners. To improve, you must ensure you meet the minimum word count and provide a more comprehensive overview that accurately compares the main features of all categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response demonstrates some basic organisation, but there is no clear overall progression. The writing is broken into short, choppy sentences and paragraphs that lack smooth logical transitions. For instance, jumping abruptly between staff numbers, male-to-female ratios, and turnover rates creates a disjointed reading experience. Cohesive devices are minimal or inaccurate, such as starting sentences with 'And' or using fragmented clauses like 'Where, the 4th company has...'. To achieve a higher band, you need to group related data logically, use paragraphing more effectively to structure your overview and body details, and employ a wider range of appropriate cohesive devices to connect your ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it remains limited and repetitive. The writer successfully employs terms like 'staff numbers', 'staff turnover', and 'employees', but attempts at more descriptive language are hindered by lexical errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'desirable in the 5th comapny' and 'more men staff and less women staff'. There is also a spelling error ('comapny'). To reach a higher band, you should incorporate a wider variety of less common vocabulary and precise terminology suited for reporting statistical data, such as proportions, ratios, and percentages, while ensuring correct word formation and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text shows a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent repetition of basic patterns like 'The [number] company has...'. When complex structures or dependent clauses are attempted, they often result in grammatical errors, such as fragments ('where, the 4th company has...') and faulty prepositional or comparative phrases ('in comparison with' versus 'Whereas'). Frequent errors occur in basic sentence construction, articles, and punctuation. To improve, you should practice incorporating a greater variety of complex grammatical structures accurately and reduce basic structural errors that disrupt the flow of your writing.

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

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