Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-08

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 4.0)

the table illustrates the best five small companies to work through a survey by a national newspaper.

overall, it is quite apparent that the best age for work is under 35/ over 55 s and least date naticed by the saft in high income bracket out of five different categories.

in the detailed view, firstly staff numbers were catogaries according to different 5 stages and highest number noticed in the last stage. secondly data arranged by male, female ratio. in this increased information in the 3 stage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the table’s general subject and attempts an overview, but it does not accurately report the main features. The claim that the “best age for work” is under 35 is not a clear or supported interpretation, and “least … in high income bracket” does not identify which company or give the relevant figures. The detail about the highest staff number being in the last position is correct (190), but the statement that information “increased” in the third position is unclear and unsupported. Several key comparisons are omitted, including the third-ranked company’s highest high-income share (74%) and the fifth-ranked company’s highest turnover (33%). The response is also 63 words below the required minimum, leaving the task substantially incomplete. Select and compare a few accurate figures, then explain the overall patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview and a paragraph beginning “in the detailed view.” Sequencing words such as “overall,” “firstly,” and “secondly” show an effort to guide the reader. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview is unclear and the details are not developed into meaningful comparisons. Phrases such as “in this increased information in the 3 stage” do not make the relationship between ideas clear, and the response ends without a concluding comparison or further data. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and selected comparisons, and connect each figure explicitly to the company’s survey position.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of task-related terms, including “staff numbers,” “male, female ratio,” and “high income bracket,” so the topic is recognisable. However, vocabulary is limited and several choices or spelling errors make the meaning unclear: “catogaries,” “least date naticed,” and “saft” appear to be attempts at “categories,” “least …,” and “staff.” “Best age for work” is also an imprecise way to describe the age profile of employees. Aim for accurate, standard terms such as “proportion,” “ranked,” “staff turnover,” and “employees under 35.” Check spelling carefully and use phrases that describe the data directly rather than relying on vague wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response contains a few simple sentence patterns and attempts to signal relationships with phrases such as “overall” and “in the detailed view.” However, grammatical control is inconsistent. The opening phrase “the best five small companies to work through a survey” has an unclear structure, while “staff numbers were catogaries according to different 5 stages” lacks a correct verb form and does not express the intended relationship clearly. The sentence beginning “in this increased information” is also incomplete or malformed. Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries need attention, and the range of structures is very limited. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example: “The fifth-ranked company employed the most staff, at 190.”

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