Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-10

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 provided table chart illustrates information about five different minor firms in UK that came at the highest positions in a survey of hold workers by a particular newspaper known as the National newspaper to search out which organization are the best to work for.

Overall, in more than half companies female were more in number and all young people included in it except one firm. Company which was at the top had less percentage of staff turnover compared to other.

The company which was at the highest position had only 56 workers and 2nd position company had 79. In terms of male : female ration in first number firm women were more than doubled compared to men, 30 and 70 respectively and second number organization had more men then women, 47:53. In age all workers were under 35 and on one over 55 and same with second top 59% under 35 and only 1% over 55.

Third, fourth, and fifth number of firms had 72,76, and 190 staff members and fermale ratio were 74:26, 13:87, and 51:49. In the age category, third and fifth position organizations had no over worker who was over 55, but 4th number had 8%. Workers who paid high income in all firms were 34%, 48%, 74%, 5%, and 2% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You include an overview and report several relevant comparisons, especially the first company’s low turnover and the differences in staff numbers and age profiles. Many figures are accurate, including the staff counts and income-bracket percentages. However, some key information is omitted or unclear: the turnover figures for the other four firms are not reported, and the overview’s claim that “all young people” were included except at one firm does not accurately summarise the under-35 data. The first company’s age figures are also misread: 77% are under 35 and 0% are over 55, rather than “all workers” being under 35. The response therefore covers the task only partly, with some important features under-developed. Select the main contrasts more carefully and report them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the companies and their statistics. This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In terms of” help signal the direction of the report. However, the progression is sometimes difficult to follow because several categories are combined in long sentences, and references such as “first number firm” and “same with second top” are not always clear. The final paragraph moves from age data to income figures without a clear transition. Grouping the information by meaningful comparisons—for example, turnover and income, then staff profile—and using consistent labels such as “the first-ranked company” would make the organisation smoother and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “age category,” “percentage,” and “high income,” so the reader can identify the main topics. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “minor firms” is not an appropriate substitute for small companies, “survey of hold workers” is unclear, and “workers who paid high income” does not express the intended category naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “ration,” “fermale,” and “organization,” alongside repeated awkward phrases like “number firm.” Use standard table-reporting language and check spelling. For example, describe the “proportion of employees in the high-income bracket” and refer to companies by their survey ranking.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, with frequent problems in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “female were more in number” has incorrect agreement and phrasing, while “which organization are the best” shifts between singular and plural. The sentence beginning “In age all workers were under 35” is also structurally unclear, and “third and fifth position organizations had no over worker who was over 55” is difficult to interpret. Some sentences join several figures without clear grammatical links. Practise accurate comparative sentence patterns, such as “The first-ranked company employed 56 people, of whom 70% were women,” and proofread each sentence for subject–verb agreement and complete, clear clauses.

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