Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-15

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 given table illustrates the information about top 5 Britain based companies in survey of staff, underexamined by national newspaper in mainly 5 aspects.

Overall, it is quite evident that the 5th company accounts the largest number of staff workers but least in staffin high bracket income. While, the company having least number of workers is the 1st one but unfortunately also least in staff turnover.

Approximately, there are 190 workers in 5th firm which almost higher than double compared to any other company. As resulting number of workers in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th working company are 56,79, 72, and 76 respectively. Although having good amount of workers in 5th company, it also comes best under male to female ratio workers with fraction of 51:49 which is almost equal. Whilst the other companies are havving large amount of gap in female to male proportion, but exceptionally 2nd company also ahve ideal proportion of 47: 53, which is quite good.

Additionally, regarding staff turnover, again 5th company provides the highest saffturnovers accounts 33%, which almost nearly twice the 2nd and sixfolds the 1st company, followed by 8%in 3rd company and 13% in the 4th company. Acheiving highest nubmer of workers, good gender ratio, highest staff turnover, nevertheless, 5th company can't acheive the staff in high income bracket, while only contributes 2%, whereas 3rd company povides most prominent income bracket with 74% which is, if compared, twice the 1st company, and even seventyfolds the 4th company, which is a huge difference.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant contrasts, including the fifth-ranked company’s largest workforce (190) and lowest high-income share (2%), and the third company’s leading high-income figure (74%). The overview also notes the first company’s smallest workforce and lowest turnover, both accurate. However, the report covers only some of the table’s main features: age profiles are omitted, and the gender comparison is partly inaccurate because the first and fourth companies also have strongly female-majority workforces, rather than only the second being close to balanced. Some comparisons are imprecise, such as calling 33% “almost nearly twice” 18%. To strengthen the response, select the most striking patterns across all categories and describe them accurately and clearly, including the age data and the fourth company’s unusually low income figure.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. It also groups workforce and gender information before moving to turnover and income, which gives the reader some organisation. However, progression is not consistently clear because several comparisons are crowded into long sentences, and linking words sometimes create awkward or unclear relationships. For example, “Although having good amount of workers” does not clearly connect the workforce figure to the gender ratio, while “nevertheless” introduces the income point after a list of unrelated strengths. The overview also repeats points later without establishing a clear hierarchy. Use shorter, focused comparisons and organise details by meaningful patterns, with linking phrases that accurately show contrast or addition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of vocabulary, including “accounts,” “proportion,” “prominent,” and “compared,” and you use some suitable terms for describing data. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. Phrases such as “top 5 Britain based companies,” “staff workers,” “ideal proportion,” and “staff turnovers accounts” are not appropriate or precise for this table. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “havving,” “ahve,” “Acheiving,” and “nubmer.” Aim for a smaller set of accurate data-reporting expressions, such as “ranked companies,” “workforce,” “gender ratio,” and “staff turnover,” and check spelling carefully. Avoid decorative wording when a direct comparison is clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “While,” and the response is generally understandable. However, these structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently in basic sentence construction. Examples include “the 5th company accounts the largest number,” “the company having least number,” and “the other companies are havving large amount,” where articles, verb forms, or sentence patterns are missing or incorrect. Some sentences also run together several ideas, making grammatical relationships unclear. Practise accurate simple comparisons first, then add subordinate clauses only when their structure is secure. For example, write “The fifth company has the largest workforce, at 190 employees,” and “The first company has the fewest employees and the lowest turnover.”

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