Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-09

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 5.0)

The table depicts data of five high rank companies surveyed by a national newspaper in Britain.overall,

To begin with first and fourth company has highest female ratio of about 80 and 70 respectively. while third company has highest male ratio of approximately 74%. moreover, fifth company has highest number of staff members of 190 and first company has the lowest figure for staff members of 56. 93% of staff members are under 35s in the fifth company.

The highest figure of salary was noticed in the third company of around 74% whereas the fifth company has substantial decline in the figure of salaries of aound 2%. In the staff turnover category, about 33% figure was noticed in fifth company on the contrary only maintained 5% figure.

To sum up, fifth company has highest number of staff with under 35s while third company has highest figure for hgih income bracket.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant comparisons, including the fifth company’s largest workforce (190), its high proportion of employees under 35 (93%), and the third company’s leading share of staff in the high-income bracket (74%). However, the response covers the table only partially: it omits important figures such as the age profile and turnover of most companies, and the overview is limited. Some comparisons are inaccurate: the first and fourth companies’ female shares are 70% and 87%, not about 80% and 70%; the fifth company has the highest turnover, but the first has the lowest. The response is also one word below the required minimum. Select a few key patterns, report them accurately, and give a clearer overview of the main contrasts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to comparisons and then a brief concluding summary. This helps the reader identify the general topic, and phrases such as “moreover” and “whereas” attempt to connect related information. However, progression is uneven: the opening ends with “overall,” but the overview itself is delayed until the final paragraph, and the body shifts between gender, workforce size, age, income and turnover without a clear grouping. Some linking is awkward, particularly “on the contrary only maintained 5% figure,” which does not clearly identify the company. Organise the body into related comparisons and use clear references to each company so the connections between figures are easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “female ratio,” “high income bracket” and “substantial decline,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons you intend. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing a table. “Highest figure of salary” does not accurately describe the proportion of staff in a high-income bracket, while “high rank companies” is an awkward description of their survey positions. There are also spelling errors, including “aound” and “hgih,” and repeated use of “figure” makes the account less precise. Choose standard data-reporting collocations and check spelling; for example, describe percentages as “the proportion of employees” rather than a salary figure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparisons, and several sentences communicate their main point, such as “fifth company has highest number of staff members of 190.” However, grammatical errors are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. The opening has a sentence-boundary and capitalisation problem (“Britain.overall”), and “first and fourth company has” has faulty agreement and number. Articles are often missing, as in “fifth company” and “highest number,” while “only maintained 5% figure” lacks a clear grammatical subject. Use complete sentences, check singular and plural agreement, and include articles consistently. More accurate control of these basic patterns would make your comparisons easier to read.

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