Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-16

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 table provides information about the five small companies in Britain that came top in a survey of staff conducted by a national newspaper to explore which companies are the best to work for.

The company that came first in the survey had the least number of staff members, while the company that came last or fifth in the survey had the greatest number of staff members. The last ranked company in the survey had the highest percentage of people having age under 35 whereas the last second ranked company had the highest percentage of people having age over 55 among all.

5th ranked company had the highest staff turnover which was 33 % in comparison with the top ranked company which had just 5 % staff turnover. Male to female ratio was maximum in the 3rd ranked company which was 74:26 whereas it was minimum for the 4th ranked company which was 13:87. Third ranked company had the highest percentage of staff in high income bracket among all which was 74 % whereas the last ranked company had the lowest percentage of staff in high income bracket which was just 2 %.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant extremes accurately: the first-ranked company has the fewest staff, the fifth has the most, and the fifth and first have the highest and lowest turnover respectively. You also compare the male–female ratios and high-income figures correctly. However, the overview is incomplete and one comparison is inaccurate: the fifth-ranked company has the highest share of under-35s (93%), but the second-ranked company does not have the highest share of over-55s; the fourth-ranked company does, at 8%. The response also omits useful features such as the strong variation in staff numbers and the high-income contrast between third and fourth place. Develop a clearer overview and select a broader set of key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The information is grouped into a short introduction followed by comparisons, and linking phrases such as “while,” “whereas” and “in comparison with” help show contrasts. However, the response has no distinct concluding overview, and the body reads as a sequence of separate observations rather than a clearly prioritised account of the table. The age comparison is also difficult to follow because “last second ranked” is unclear, and the inaccurate claim about over-55s disrupts the progression. Organise the main features into a clearer overview and grouped comparisons—for example, staff profile and turnover in one section, then income and workforce composition in another. Use precise references to rankings to make connections easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “staff turnover,” “male to female ratio,” “percentage” and “high income bracket.” These terms allow the reader to understand the comparisons, and words such as “maximum” and “minimum” show an attempt to vary expression. Some phrasing is awkward or repetitive, however: “people having age under 35” and “last second ranked company” are not natural ways to describe the data, while “company” is repeated frequently. Choose concise, conventional expressions such as “employees aged under 35” and “the second-ranked company.” More precise vocabulary for proportions and rankings would make the report sound more fluent and appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple statements and complex comparisons, including clauses with “while,” “whereas” and “which,” and the main information is generally understandable. Some grammatical choices are less controlled. For example, “had the highest percentage of people having age under 35” contains an awkward clause structure, and “last second ranked company” has an unclear sequence of modifiers. The sentence beginning “Male to female ratio was maximum” also needs an article before the subject. Aim for cleaner noun phrases and more consistent sentence patterns, such as “The fifth-ranked company had the largest proportion of employees under 35, while the fourth had the highest proportion over 55.” This would improve accuracy without sacrificing complexity.

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