Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The table illustrates the information about the top five ranked companies to work, according to a survey conducted by a national newspaper. It provides information about their staff members, gender ratio, age group, staff turnover and staff in high income bracket.

Overall, the first ranked company had the lowest staff turnover while the fifth ranked company had the highest staff turnover. Moreover, the fifth ranked company had the highest workforce. In contrast, the third ranked company had the highest high income staff in bracket.

Firstly, the first ranked company had workforce of 56 members, with females making 70% of their workforce compared to male ratio of 30%. It had 77% employees under 35 years and none were above 55 years. It had 5% ratio of staff turnover and 34% of the employees were in the high income bracket. The second ranked company has 79 employees with the 47% of male ratio and 53% of female ratio. Moreover, 59% employees of the company were under 35 years and only 1% of the workers were over 55 years. The staff turnover ratio was 18% and it had 48% staff in high income bracket.

The third ranked company had the workforce of 72 employees and the males making up to 74% and females up to 26% of the workforce. It had 82% workers which were under 35 years and none none were over 55 years. The staff turnover for this company was 8% and the staff in high income bracket was 74%. The forth ranked company had 76 staff members and it had the ratio of 87% of female workers and 13% of male employees. The staff under the age of 35 years was 26% and the staff above 55 years was only 8%. It had 13% of staff turnover and 5% staff in high income bracket. Finally, the fifth company had the highest members in workforce, totally 190 members. It had the gender ratio of 51% males and 49% females. It had the highest ratio of workers under 35 years, about 93% and none of the employees were over 55 years. In addition, the staff turnover was 33% and the staff in high income bracket was only 2%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers the table’s main categories and reports the figures accurately, including the first company’s lowest turnover (5%), the fifth company’s largest workforce (190) and highest turnover (33%), and the third company’s leading share of high-income staff (74%). The overview identifies useful contrasts, and the body supports these with relevant comparisons across all five companies. This gives the report a clear, well-supported account of the data. To make the selection more analytical, draw out further comparisons rather than listing each company in turn—for example, contrast the third company’s high-income share with the fourth and fifth companies’ 5% and 2%, or compare the age profiles. The overview could also summarise the striking variation in gender balance and staff age more explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The report is organised clearly: an introduction is followed by an overview and then detailed coverage of the companies in rank order. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Finally” help readers follow the progression, and the information is generally easy to locate. However, the body relies heavily on a company-by-company list, so comparisons between companies are less prominent than they could be. Some linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated “It had” sentence openings. Grouping companies by notable similarities or contrasts, and using more varied referencing, would make the progression more flexible. Overall, the structure is logical and cohesive, although some connections feel formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing the table, with relevant terms such as “workforce,” “gender ratio,” “staff turnover,” and “high income bracket.” The writer also uses comparison language such as “highest” and “lowest” appropriately. However, several phrases are awkward or imprecise, including “top five ranked companies to work,” “highest high income staff in bracket,” and “highest members in workforce, totally 190 members.” Repetition of “company,” “staff,” and “ratio” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural collocations and concise data-reporting language, such as “the five highest-ranked companies,” “the largest proportion of high earners,” and “a workforce of 190.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple sentences and longer structures, and most figures remain clear despite some grammatical slips. There are errors in articles and sentence construction, for example “had workforce of 56 members” and “with the 47% of male ratio.” Verb forms are not always consistent: “The second ranked company has 79 employees” shifts to the present while the surrounding account uses the past. The phrase “none none were over 55 years” contains an obvious repetition, and “the males making up to 74%” is not formed accurately. Review articles, tense consistency, and clause structure, then proofread for duplicated words. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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