Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The tabulation illustrates the responses based on staff members, gender ratio, under 35 or above 55, staff turnover and personnel with higher salary from five organizations in Britain. This questionairre is carried out by a national newspaper to figure out which of them is better.

Overall, it is evident that each entity is doing an exceptional job in their own way but fifth ranked has the largest percentage of employees under the age of 35 and above 55 while the first ranked has a few lesser. Coming towards the third positioned company which has highest male/female ratio and the largest proportion in high income staff. In constrast, 5th one has the highest turnover rate among all.

When talking about the size of employees, Fifth one has the great population in comparison to other ones that have 56 to 79 members. In terms of gender proportion, Third company has relatively more higer number though all other companies are between 13 to 51. Under age of 35 and over 55, fifth comapny has greatest proportion of 93% meanwhile others had 26% to 82%. Staff Turnover was highest in 5th with 33% followed by others from 5% to 18%. Finally, Third secured the rank with 74% with 2% to 74% among others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the table’s subject and report several relevant comparisons, including the fifth-ranked company’s 93% under-35 workforce and 33% turnover, and the third-ranked company’s 74% high-income share. The overview also highlights differences between companies. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the third company has the highest proportion of men, not the highest male/female ratio in a clearly explained sense, and the first company does not have the lowest proportion of younger staff (fourth place has 26%). The statement that the fifth company has the largest proportion both under 35 and over 55 is incorrect: its over-55 figure is 0%. The final comparison of income figures is also confusing. More precise reporting of the gender and age data would make the key features clearer and more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of supporting comparisons. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Coming towards the third positioned company” is a fragment rather than a complete transition, while “Finally, Third secured the rank with 74% with 2% to 74% among others” does not clearly explain what is being compared. The overview also combines age, gender, income and turnover without a consistent organising principle. Grouping related data—for example, workforce profile first and turnover/income second—and using clear references to each ranking would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of task-related vocabulary, including “tabulation,” “proportion,” “personnel,” and “turnover,” and the general topic remains understandable. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a table: “responses based on staff members” does not clearly identify the data, “great population” should refer to the number of employees, and “secured the rank with 74%” is not an appropriate way to report the income figure. There are also spelling errors such as “questionairre,” “constrast,” “higer,” and “comapny.” Repeated use of “company” and “proportion” also limits flexibility. Prefer precise, natural collocations such as “workforce,” “accounted for,” and “the highest share,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and some longer structures, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “though,” so there is an attempt at varied sentence forms. The main information is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors make relationships between figures difficult to follow. For example, “each entity is doing an exceptional job in their own way” has unclear agreement and is not a suitable construction for describing the table; “Coming towards the third positioned company” is an incomplete sentence; and “Fifth one has the great population” has problems with articles and sentence structure. In “others had 26% to 82%,” the tense and comparison pattern are also awkward. Build complete sentences around each comparison, use consistent present-tense reporting verbs, and check articles and agreement.

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