Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-11

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 4.5)

The table illustrates five small corporations in Britain that ranked at the top in a survey of staff conducted by a nation's newspaper to find out which companies are the best employers.

Overall, the top company had the least number of staff numbers while the 5th company has the highest number. The 5th corporation had a significantly lower percentage of staff in high income bracket. All companies had more employees under 35 than those over 55.

Regarding staff turnover, the 5th company, 2nd company and the had the highest percentage of staff at 33% and 18% respectively while, the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the table’s subject and give a few relevant comparisons, including that the fifth-ranked company has the most staff and the lowest share in the high-income bracket. However, the response is incomplete and reports only a small portion of the data; the turnover sentence breaks off, and the claim that all companies have more under-35s than over-55s overlooks the fourth company’s figures (26% and 8%) but is still directionally correct. The overview also misses notable contrasts, such as the third company’s highest high-income share and the fifth company’s highest turnover. The response is 81 words, below the required 150; 18 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Develop a complete summary with accurate key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction is followed by an overview and then a paragraph beginning with staff turnover. The opening phrases “Overall” and “Regarding staff turnover” help signal these stages. However, the final sentence is unfinished (“and the”), so the information does not progress to a complete comparison or conclusion. The overview combines several points without developing them, and the response ends before other table categories can be organised. Use separate, complete paragraphs to group related features—for example, workforce characteristics and turnover/income—and ensure each comparison is finished. This would make the sequence easier to follow and the links between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related terms, including “ranked,” “survey,” “percentage,” “staff turnover,” and “high income bracket,” so the topic is generally clear. Some choices are imprecise or repetitive: “staff numbers” is awkward in “the least number of staff numbers,” and “corporations” is repeated where “companies” or “firms” would be more natural. “A nation’s newspaper” is also an inaccurate rendering of the prompt’s “a national newspaper.” The unfinished final phrase further limits the evidence of vocabulary control. Aim for precise, natural collocations and vary the terms for employees and companies while keeping the table’s labels clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some controlled simple sentences and an attempt at a more complex comparison, such as “Overall, the top company had the least number … while the 5th company has the highest number.” However, tense use is inconsistent: “had” shifts to “has” when describing the same table. There are also errors in sentence construction and punctuation, particularly the unfinished final sentence, “the 5th company, 2nd company and the had the highest percentage … while, the”. The phrase “the least number of staff numbers” also shows difficulty forming the comparison grammatically. Use consistent past or present tense, check sentence boundaries, and complete each clause before moving to the next point.

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