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 displays the information about a research done by a national newspaper through a survey, that demonstrates work of five small companies with remarkable reputation in Britain.

Overall, most of the companies have more females as compared to males.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the table’s general subject and offers one relevant overview: “most of the companies have more females as compared to males.” However, this is the only data-based comparison, and it is not fully accurate: the third-ranked company has a male majority (74:26), while the fifth is almost evenly split (51:49). No staff numbers, age profiles, turnover rates, or income figures are reported, so the main features and comparisons are largely missing. The task’s minimum length is not met: the response contains 40 words rather than at least 150, leaving too little space to summarise the table. To improve, provide a clear overview of notable contrasts, then support it with selected figures from several rows.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it first introduces the table and then gives an overall observation. The use of “Overall” signals the shift to a summary, so the reader can follow the two sentences. However, there is no developed progression beyond this, and the response does not group or compare the table’s different categories. The opening sentence is also overloaded, with several ideas compressed into one sentence. A fuller response should use a clear introduction, an overview, and one or two body paragraphs organised around related features—for example, staff demographics and turnover/income—and use simple linking phrases to make comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the broad topic, with relevant terms such as “table,” “survey,” “companies,” and “females.” However, the range is narrow and some choices are imprecise or unnatural for an IELTS data summary. “A research done” is not a natural collocation, and “demonstrates work of five small companies with remarkable reputation” does not accurately describe what the table presents: it reports characteristics of companies ranked highly by staff survey. “Remarkable reputation” is also an unsupported evaluation. Use precise reporting language such as “compares,” “shows,” and “ranked,” alongside the table’s labels, to describe the data clearly and neutrally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The two sentences are generally understandable, and the writer uses a subordinate clause in “that demonstrates…,” showing an attempt to vary sentence structure. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “a research done by a national newspaper,” the article and construction are problematic; a more accurate structure would be “a survey conducted by a national newspaper.” The clause “that demonstrates work of five small companies” is also awkwardly formed, and the comma before “that” is unnecessary in this defining clause. The second sentence is structurally simple and mostly clear, though “as compared to” makes the comparison cumbersome. Aim for accurate, direct sentence patterns and check articles, clause structure, and punctuation.

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