Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-07

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 data table illustrates the survey results based on staff about the five marginal enterprises in Britain conducted by a national newspaper to discover the best enterprise in terms of work.

Overall, it is clear that the ranking is based on the staff number, male-female ratio, age factor, staff turnover, and income brackets. The enterprise at rank 5th employees the highest numbers of staff, while the enterprise on rank 1st accounts for the lowest. Only two enterprises have employed staff over the age group of 55.

Enterprise with the highest number of staff stands at rank 5th with 190 members, whereas the one on position 1st has employed only 56 member, which is the lowest among the listed companies. Other enterprises employed identical figures of the staff. In terms of ratio of male-female, only two enterprises has employed more female staff to male, rank 1st employees 70 females to 30 males, and rank 4th employees 87 females to 13 males.

Enterprises with staff age above 55 stand at position 2nd with 1% and 4th with 8%. The staff turnover rate is the highest for rank 5th at 33% and the lowest for rank 1st, while rank 3rd provides with higher income brackets than any other company at 74%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several relevant features, including the largest and smallest workforces, the female-majority companies, the presence of older staff, turnover, and the highest income figure. The figures you give for these comparisons are generally accurate. However, the overview is partly unclear: saying the ranking “is based on” the listed measures is not supported by the table, which reports characteristics of companies already ranked in the survey. Some key comparisons are also underdeveloped, especially the income data: the 74% figure is correctly identified, but the other companies’ much lower figures (5% and 2%) are not contrasted. “Other enterprises employed identical figures” is inaccurate or unclear, as their staff totals are not identical. A clearer overview of the main contrasts would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping workforce characteristics and other measures. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information. However, progression is sometimes weakened by unclear or awkward references, such as “the enterprise on rank 1st” and “the one on position 1st,” which require extra effort to interpret. The sentence “Other enterprises employed identical figures of the staff” also interrupts the comparison because it does not specify which figures are meant. Linking is mostly basic, relying on “while” and “whereas,” and the final paragraph moves quickly between age, turnover, and income. Grouping related comparisons more deliberately and using clearer references would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “income brackets,” “ratio,” and “survey results,” so the main subject is usually clear. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “whereas” and “accounts for.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for this context: “marginal enterprises” does not mean small companies, “employees the highest numbers” is not a natural way to describe workforce size, and “provides with higher income brackets” is awkward. Repetition of “enterprise” and “rank” also limits flexibility. Choose precise terms such as “company,” “workforce,” and “ranked first,” and check collocations so that formal vocabulary sounds natural rather than forced.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including comparisons with “whereas” and “while,” and most of the intended meaning can be followed. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement, articles, and plural forms. For example, “only two enterprises has employed” should use a plural verb, while “56 member” needs a plural noun. The phrase “the enterprise on rank 1st” also shows difficulty with article and preposition patterns; “the company ranked first” would be more accurate. In “the one on position 1st has employed only 56 member,” the structure is understandable but awkward and error-prone. More consistently accurate sentence patterns, alongside the complex comparisons you already attempt, would strengthen control.

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